2000
#6,804
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Ahearn
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'hEachthigheirn," meaning "descendant of the horse lord" or "descendant of the horse sovereign."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,234 Americans carry the last name Ahearn. That puts it at #7,075 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ahearn 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 Ahearn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,486
Census rank
#7,075
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,564 bearers of the surname Ahearn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7075th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ahearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ahearn
Among Census respondents with the surname Ahearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ahearn 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 Ahearn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,185
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 198
- Two or more races2.5% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ahearn
Ahearn 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
#7,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,628
+64 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 407 places
2020
#7,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,564
-64 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,804 | 4,564 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,211 | 4,628 | 1.57 | +64 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 407 places |
| 2020 | #7,075 | 4,564 | 1.53 | -64 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 136 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 Ahearn 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 | #7,211 | #7,075 | 1.9% |
| Count | 4,628 | 4,564 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.53 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ahearn bearers went from 4,628 to 4,564 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,211 to #7,075.
FAQ
Ahearn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ahearn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,234 living Americans carry the surname Ahearn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,486 residents.
How common is Ahearn?
Ahearn ranks #7,075 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,564 people with the surname Ahearn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ahearn.
Has Ahearn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ahearn went from 4,628 recorded bearers to 4,564. That is a decrease of 64 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,211 to #7,075.
What does the Census say about the background of Ahearn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ahearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Ahearn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ahearn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Ahearn (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 Ahearn mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'hEachthigheirn," meaning "descendant of the horse lord" or "descendant of the horse sovereign." 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 Ahearn (1.53 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 are called Ahearn?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Ahearn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.