Probably from the surname Houlihan/Hooligan, a family notorious for street violence in 1890s Southwark, London.
A violent young troublemaker, especially one of a gang.
Probably from the surname Houlihan, an Irish family in Southwark, London, notorious for street violence in the 1890s. Some attribute it to a music hall song about a rowdy Irish character named Patrick Hooligan. The word exploded in newspaper usage in the summer of 1898. Key roots: Houlihan/Hooligan (Irish English: "personal surname").
One rowdy family allegedly ruined the name forever. The Hooligans (or Houlihans) of 1890s Southwark, London were so notorious that their surname became a common noun for any violent troublemaker within a single decade. The word then spread to Russian as 'хулиган' (khuligan), where it became an official Soviet legal term for antisocial behavior. A London family's bad reputation became Russian criminal law.