Karrigan
A feminine name possibly derived from the Irish name Caitriona or Katherine.
Name Census estimates that about 502 living Americans carry the first name Karrigan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karrigan today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karrigan births was 1996 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karrigan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Karrigan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
502
~ 1 in 682,778 Americans
Peak year
1996
43 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,734
Tracked since 1995
Census
Karrigan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 458 people with the first name Karrigan, which placed it at #21,926 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,926
National first-name rank
People counted
458
458 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karrigan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karrigan is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Karrigan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Karrigan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 377
- Two or more races5.5% · 25
- Black or African American5.0% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
Popularity
Karrigan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karrigan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 186 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karrigan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Karrigan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karrigans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Indiana, Michigan recorded the most babies named Karrigan, while Michigan, Indiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karrigan
The name Karrigan is believed to have originated from the Old Irish Gaelic language, with roots tracing back to the early medieval period in Ireland. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "carraig," which means "rock" or "stone." This suggests that the name may have been associated with strength, durability, or a connection to the natural landscape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karrigan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The Annals mention a person named Karrigan mac Aedha, who lived in the 12th century and was a member of the Uí Briúin dynasty in Connacht, Ireland.
In the 14th century, there is a reference to a woman named Karrigan ní Dhomhnaill, who was the daughter of a prominent Irish chieftain from the O'Donnell clan. Her name appears in historical records related to land disputes and inheritance matters in the region of Ulster.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Karrigan Ó Máille gained prominence as a seafarer and chieftain of the Ó Máille clan in County Mayo, Ireland. He was known for his maritime exploits and for engaging in piracy along the Irish coast.
In the 17th century, a man named Karrigan Ó Conchobhair was a celebrated Irish harpist and composer. He is credited with preserving and promoting traditional Irish music during a time when it faced suppression under English rule.
Another notable figure with the name Karrigan was Karrigan Ó Súilleabháin, an Irish poet and scholar who lived in the 18th century. He was renowned for his works in the Irish language and his contributions to preserving Irish literary traditions.
While the name Karrigan has its roots in Ireland and the Irish language, it has been adopted and used in various forms across different cultures and regions over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the rich history and heritage of Ireland, where it was borne by individuals who left their mark on the cultural, political, and artistic landscapes of the time.
People
Karrigan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karrigan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karrigan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karrigan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 502 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karrigan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 682,778 US residents.
Is Karrigan a common name?
We classify Karrigan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 510 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karrigan most popular?
The single biggest year for Karrigan was 1996, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karrigan is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Karrigan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 458 people with the name Karrigan, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,926 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Karrigan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Karrigan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Karrigan leans strongly female. 439 people counted with this name were female (98.0%), compared with 9 male bearers (2.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Karrigan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karrigan is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Karrigan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Karrigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (377 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Karrigan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karrigan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karrigan in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Karrigan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karrigan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Karrigan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Karrigan?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Karrigan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.