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

Barrigan, 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 Barrigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barrigan in America

Barrigan is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barrigan surname appeared 114 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 Barrigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barrigan 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 Barrigan

The surname Barrigan originated in the British Isles, specifically in the regions of Scotland and Ireland, during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "barr," meaning "top" or "summit," and "gan," meaning "small," which suggests that the name may have referred to a person living on or near a small hill or elevated area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Barrigan can be traced back to Scottish and Irish parish records from the late 1500s and early 1600s. Some variations of the spelling include Barrigane, Barrighan, and Barrigaine. These spellings are thought to have evolved over time due to regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of record-keeping during that era.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Barrigan was William Barrigane, born in 1612 in Inverness, Scotland. He was a farmer and landowner, and his name appears in local property records from the mid-17th century.

Another notable figure was Eamon Barrighan, an Irish soldier who fought in the Nine Years' War (1594-1603) against the English forces. He was born in County Cork, Ireland, around 1570 and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the conflict.

In the late 17th century, a family by the name of Barrigane settled in the town of Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland. One member of this family, Robert Barrigane (1652-1721), was a prominent merchant and served as a local magistrate.

A more recent historical figure was Catherine Barrigan (1820-1892), a Scottish author and poet from Aberdeen. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her works celebrating the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands.

Another individual of note was John Barrigan (1865-1942), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the late 19th century. He was born in County Mayo, Ireland, and immigrated to the United States in the 1880s.

While the surname Barrigan is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple regions within the British Isles. Its origins are rooted in the Gaelic languages and reflect the geographic features of the areas where it first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barrigan

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

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

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

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