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

Brannan, 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 Brannan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brannan in America

Brannan is the 4753rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brannan surname appeared 7,452 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Brannan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brannan 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 Brannan

The surname Brannan has its origins in Ireland, derived from the Irish Gaelic word "bran," meaning "raven." It was initially a descriptive nickname for individuals with dark hair or complexion, resembling the color of a raven.

This surname first emerged in County Down, located in the northeastern part of Ireland. It is believed to have been adopted as a hereditary surname during the 11th or 12th century, a period when many Irish clans began adopting surnames based on personal characteristics, occupations, or geographical locations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brannan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a notable individual named Gilla na Naemh O'Brannan, who served as the Bishop of Ardfert in County Kerry in the late 12th century.

In the 14th century, the Brannan surname appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of documented acts of homage rendered to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. This suggests that members of the Brannan family had established themselves in Scotland during this period.

Notable individuals bearing the Brannan surname throughout history include:

1. James Brannan (1805-1888), an Irish-born American businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the town of San Pedro, California.
2. John Milton Brannan (1819-1892), an American lawyer, politician, and Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
3. William Penn Brannan (1825-1891), an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of Idaho Territory.
4. Jeremiah Brannan (1833-1898), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who established several schools in San Francisco.
5. Samuel Brannan (1819-1889), an American religious leader, entrepreneur, and one of the earliest pioneers to settle in the Sacramento Valley region of California.

The Brannan surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Brannanstown, a townland in County Westmeath, and Brannanmore, a village in County Armagh. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Brannan surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brannan

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

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

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

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