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

Ahearne, 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 Ahearne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ahearne in America

Ahearne is the 123064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ahearne surname appeared 140 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ahearne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ahearne 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 Ahearne

The surname Ahearne has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Áedh," which means "fire" or "fiery." This name was frequently anglicized as "Hugh" or "Aidan" in English.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ahearne can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a chieftain named Áedh Ó hEachthighearn, who ruled over the territory of Uí Bhreasail in County Armagh during the 11th century.

The Ahearne surname is particularly associated with County Tipperary and County Kilkenny in Ireland. In the 13th century, the name appears in records related to the village of Aherlow in County Tipperary, which was likely derived from the Irish phrase "Áth Uidhir Locha," meaning "the ford of the dun or fort of the lake."

Notable individuals with the surname Ahearne include Patrick Ahearne (1575-1642), an Irish Franciscan friar and historian who wrote extensively on the lives of Irish saints and martyrs. Another prominent figure was John Ahearne (1766-1835), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a successful businessman in Canada.

In the 19th century, James Ahearne (1836-1906) was a renowned Irish journalist and author who wrote for several publications, including the Freeman's Journal and the Nation. His contemporaries included Michael Ahearne (1845-1920), an Irish nationalist and Member of Parliament for Cork City.

More recently, Brendan Ahearne (1935-2022) was a prominent Irish sports administrator who served as the president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) from 1984 to 1987.

The Ahearne surname has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as O'Hearne, O'Heharne, and Aherné, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ahearne

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

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

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

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