Your name
The following is a portion copied from an unidentified article titled "WHY YOU HAVE A FAMILY NAME AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU". The Killough name is what ties us all together, whether your last name is Killough or Kellough or a derivative of them or that's the last name of your ancestor .
Those Americans who possess old and honored names —who trace the history of their surnames back to sturdy immigrant ancestors, or even beyond, across the seas, and into the dim mists of antiquity —may be rightfully proud of their heritage. While the name, in its origin, may seem ingenious, humble, surprising, or matter-of-fact, its significance today lies not in a literal interpretation of its original meaning but in the many things that have happened to it since it first came into use. In the beginning, it was only a word, a convenient label to distinguish one John from his neighbor John who lived across the field. But soon it established itself as a part of the bearer's individuality; and as it passed to his children, his children's children, and their children, it became the symbol not of one man but of a family and all that that family stood for. Handed down from generation to generation, it grew inseparably associated with the achievement, the tradition, and the prestige of the family. Like a coat of arms —that vivid symbolization of the name which warrior ancestors bore in battle —the name itself, borne through every event of a man's life and through the lives of scores of his progenitors, became the badge of family honor —the "good name" to be proud of, to protect, and to fight for if need be. As the worthy deeds of the marching generations have given it dignity and splendor, it has become an institution, a family rallying cry, and the most treasured possession of those who bear it.
