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

Bergin, 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 Bergin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bergin in America

Bergin is the 8291st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bergin surname appeared 3,996 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bergin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bergin 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 Bergin

The surname Bergin is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "beargain," which means "little hill" or "sharp-pointed hill." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or on a small hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bergin can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The name appears in the annals as "O'Beargain," referring to a prominent family from County Longford.

In the 16th century, the name Bergin was also found in various legal and administrative records in Ireland, often spelled as "Bergyn" or "Bergan." This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spelling conventions were not yet widely adopted.

One notable historical figure with the surname Bergin was John Bergin, an Irish Catholic priest and historian who lived from 1707 to 1770. He is known for his work "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," which chronicled the history of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Another significant figure was Michael Bergin, an Irish politician and Member of Parliament who lived from 1836 to 1907. He was a prominent member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and played a crucial role in advocating for Irish Home Rule.

In the literary world, Nora Bergin (1905-1976) was an Irish novelist and short story writer known for her works exploring themes of rural Irish life. Her novel "The Capuchins" was a notable success and received critical acclaim.

Turning to the world of sports, Paddy Bergin (1919-2007) was an Irish hurler who played for the Kilkenny senior team and was part of the All-Ireland winning team in 1947.

Finally, in more recent times, Jonathan Bergin (born 1976) is an Irish actor best known for his roles in television series such as "Vikings" and "Outlander."

While the surname Bergin has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to Irish emigration over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the Gaelic word "beargain," reflecting the connection to the landscape and geography of Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bergin

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!