2000
#12,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Agan
A Turkish surname derived from the word "ağa," meaning "chief," "master," or "lord."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,363 Americans carry the last name Agan. That puts it at #14,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Agan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Agan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,051
Census rank
#14,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,061 bearers of the surname Agan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Agan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Agan
Among Census respondents with the surname Agan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Agan bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Agan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 1,831
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 75
- Two or more races3.6% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 57
- Black or African American0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Agan
Agan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,407
+191 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#14,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
-346 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,778 | 2,216 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,812 | 2,407 | 0.82 | +191 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #14,007 | 2,061 | 0.69 | -346 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 1,195 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Agan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,812 | #14,007 | -9.3% |
| Count | 2,407 | 2,061 | -14.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.69 | -15.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Agan bearers went from 2,407 to 2,061 (-14.4% change). The surname moved down 1,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,812 to #14,007.
FAQ
Agan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Agan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,363 living Americans carry the surname Agan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,051 residents.
How common is Agan?
Agan ranks #14,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,061 people with the surname Agan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Agan.
Has Agan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Agan went from 2,407 recorded bearers to 2,061. That is a decrease of 346 (-14.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,812 to #14,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Agan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Agan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Agan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (1,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Agan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Agan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Agan mean?
A Turkish surname derived from the word "ağa," meaning "chief," "master," or "lord." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Agan (0.69 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Agan?
If you just want to know how common the surname Agan is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.