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

Bannon, 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 Bannon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bannon in America

Bannon is the 6845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bannon surname appeared 4,921 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 Bannon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bannon 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 Bannon

The surname Bannon originates from Ireland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name "O'Banain," which means "descendant of Banan." The name Banan is derived from the Irish word "ban," meaning "white" or "fair-haired."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Irish manuscripts, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which mention several individuals with the name Bannon or O'Banain. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Muircheartach O'Banain, a prominent Irish chieftain who lived in the 13th century.

The Bannon surname was particularly prevalent in County Roscommon, where the family held lands and wielded significant influence. In the 16th century, the Annals of Ulster refer to the "O'Banains of Muintir Eolais," a powerful sept (clan) in that region.

As the name spread throughout Ireland, various spellings emerged, including Banon, Banyn, and Bannan. Some early records also mention place names associated with the family, such as Ballybanon (meaning "Bannon's town") and Carrowbannon (meaning "Bannon's quarter").

Notable individuals with the surname Bannon throughout history include:

1. Reverend Patrick Bannon (1615-1694), an Irish Franciscan friar and scholar who wrote extensively on Irish history and language.

2. Michael Bannon (1741-1803), an Irish-American soldier and merchant who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

3. John Bannon (1829-1913), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the 30th Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

4. Matthias Bannon (1832-1913), an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Mobile, Alabama.

5. James Bannon (1873-1942), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who was a prominent figure in the American Federation of Labor.

While the name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia, carried by Irish immigrants and their descendants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bannon

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

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

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

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