Find out how popular the last name Agan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Agan.

Agan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Agan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Agan in America

Agan is the 12812th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Agan surname appeared 2,407 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Agan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Agan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Agan

The surname AGAN has its origins tracing back to Ireland, where it is believed to have emerged in the 10th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "agan," which means "little." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for a small or young person.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name AGAN can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions an individual named Ruaidhri Agan, who lived in the late 12th century and was a member of the powerful O'Conor clan.

In the 14th century, the AGAN surname appears in the Rental Book of the Cistercian Abbey of Duiske, County Kilkenny, Ireland. This document, which dates back to 1324, lists several tenants with the surname AGAN, indicating the name's presence in the region during that period.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the AGAN surname. One such person was Donnchadh Agan, a 16th-century Irish poet and scholar who was renowned for his mastery of the Irish language and his contributions to the literary traditions of the time.

Another prominent figure was John Agan (1773-1857), an Irish-born American businessman and politician. He served as the 14th Governor of Hawaii from 1842 to 1844 and played a significant role in the early development of the Hawaiian Islands.

In the 19th century, James Agan (1839-1912) was a prominent Irish-American politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was actively involved in Irish-American organizations, advocating for the rights and interests of the Irish community in the United States.

The AGAN surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Agannion, a townland in County Fermanagh, and Aganon, a civil parish in County Wicklow. These place names may have derived from the surname or vice versa, reflecting the deep-rooted connection between the name and the Irish landscape.

William Agan (1865-1944) was an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator. He served as the president of Villanova University from 1922 to 1936 and played a pivotal role in the university's growth and development during his tenure.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Agan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Agan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Agan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Agan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Agan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Agan, please contact us.

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