Surname Spotlight: Gallivan

Gallivan is a familiar spelling of the Irish name Galvin. In origin, the name means “Descendant of Gealbhán ("bright white")”. Before spelling was fixed, Galvin was also written Gallivan. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them. You may also find the name written Galván and O'Galvin.

About 1,092 people in the United States were recorded as Gallivan in 2010, placing it 23,315 on the national list.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Gallivan, so the heraldry linked to Galvin is a starting point, not an automatic right. Get the complete Gallivan report, with a museum-style coat of arms.