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

Ahearn, 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 Ahearn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ahearn in America

Ahearn is the 7211th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ahearn surname appeared 4,628 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ahearn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ahearn 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 Ahearn

The surname AHEARN has its origins in Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic personal name "O'hEachthigheirn" or "O'hEachthigheirna." This name translates to "descendant of the horse-lord" or "descendant of the horse-keeper." It is believed that the name originated in the 10th or 11th century and was most prevalent in the counties of Westmeath and Longford.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, the name is spelled "O'Hachthighern" and refers to a chieftain who lived in the late 12th century. Similar spellings of the name, such as "O'Haugherne" and "O'Hogherne," can be found in various Irish manuscripts and records from the 13th to 16th centuries.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Piers AHEARN, a prominent landowner in County Westmeath in the late 16th century. He was granted lands by the English Crown during the Plantation of Ulster and played a significant role in the colonization of Ireland.

Another notable figure was Theobald AHEARN (1590-1656), an Irish Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Killaloe from 1641 until his death. He was a staunch supporter of the Irish Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.

In the 18th century, John AHEARN (1728-1805) was an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served in the Continental Army and participated in several key battles, including the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Yorktown.

Bridget AHEARN (1807-1888) was an Irish immigrant to the United States who became a prominent figure in the labor movement. She was one of the founders of the Daughters of St. Peter Claver, an organization that advocated for the rights of black workers in the late 19th century.

William AHEARN (1865-1943) was an Irish-American politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1919 to 1921. He played a significant role in the development of the city's transportation infrastructure, including the expansion of the subway system.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ahearn

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

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 Ahearn 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 Ahearn 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 Ahearn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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