Callefans Curlevannce Galafent Girlyfence Girlyvance Gulephant Gullifant Gurlefance Gurlephans Gurlevance Gurlyfannce Galifant Gallifant Gallafent Gallifent Galliphant Garlafant Galefont Galiphant Galliver Gulliver Gallifont Gullefant
I am often told I have an odd name and am asked where it comes from, this used to make me wonder where it came from and how common it actually is. This developed into casual research, which escalated into a serious study with no set boundary. I have now gained an interest in to the lives of the people who have shared the surname, the relationships between them, their migrations across England and the globe and the triumphs and tragedies.
The surname Gallafant is registered with the Guild of One Name Studies along with the variants Gallafent, Gallifant, Gallifent and Galliphant. Although the study is registered and referred to as the Gallafant One Name Study, this spelling of the name is not the predominant one or even the original one but merely the spelling of my surname. In the context of the study of the surname this should be seen as interchangeable with any of the registered variants.
The study aims to systematically categorise and document the evolution and development of the surname and the people who have held it. This includes both people who were born with the surname and people who gained by other means such as marriage. Of particular interest is a person’s birth date and place, their parents, their children, details of their marriages and their death. What they did during their lives is also of significant interest, their occupations, relationships, achievements and even their crimes.
This website is eventually intended to be a repositry of the information collected during the One Name Study of 'Gallafant' and its variants of Gallifant, Gallafent, Gallifent and Gallaphant. Assumptions and guesswork have been made in certain areas in order to progress, however these have been recorded and should eventually be validated by evidence. It is for that reason that I have aimed to collect copies of all evidence for every piece of the jigsaw. Hopefully this methodology will allow future researchers to not waste time with duplicated effort but further the study into areas I have not adequately resolved. It is inevitable that mistakes have been in the compilation of this work. It is welcomed that errors are pointed out so that they can be corrected.
In the Western culture in which the Gallafant name was formed, surnames are usually propagated through the male line. If its holders tend to have more boys than girls it will thrive, however if girls are more frequently born than boys then the frequency of the name within the general population will dwindle and can even become extinct. I have tried to analyse the frequency and distribution of the name, hopefully this will allow comparison with other rare names. An initial observation is that the name is stable but becoming more dispersed, both across the UK and overseas.
Most of the data within this study has come from the public domain. To comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act, no data is offered of living individuals under the age of 18. Unless stated, no copyright of any data is claimed by myself. Users are free to use the data as they wish except for the purposes of commercial gain. New information, photos and other resources are always welcomed, both under the above terms or with conditions attached.
Thanks and credit must go to others who have worked on this study, some informally without realising it and some who have made considerable achievements through their efforts, particularly Jack Stanley Gallifant and Michael David Gallafent.
Carl Gallafant