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

Brogan, 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 Brogan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brogan in America

Brogan is the 4577th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brogan surname appeared 7,754 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 Brogan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brogan 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 Brogan

The surname Brogan originated in Ireland and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "bróg," which means "shoe" or "brogue." The name likely referred to a maker or seller of brogues, a type of sturdy leather shoe.

In the early 17th century, the name Brogan appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were official records of the English Crown in Ireland. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Patrick Brogan, who was mentioned in the Fiants in 1603.

The Brogan name has been found in various historical records throughout Ireland, particularly in counties such as Fermanagh, Donegal, and Tyrone. In the Petty's Census of 1659, which was a survey of households in Ireland, several Brogan families were listed in these regions.

One notable figure with the Brogan surname was Joseph Brogan (1610-1690), an Irish Catholic priest and author. He was a member of the Franciscan Order and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

Another historical figure was John Brogan (1805-1875), an Irish-born American politician who served as the 14th Governor of Missouri from 1861 to 1865. He played a significant role in keeping Missouri in the Union during the American Civil War.

In the 19th century, the Brogan name became more widespread in the United States, particularly in areas with large Irish immigrant populations. One example is Thomas Brogan (1824-1905), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist from Philadelphia, who founded the Brogan Building and Loan Association.

The name Brogan has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Brogan's Glen in County Fermanagh and Brogan's Hill in County Donegal. These place names likely derived from individuals or families with the Brogan surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the Brogan surname include Michael Brogan (1936-2019), an Irish actor and playwright best known for his roles in films like "The Commitments" and "The Snapper," and John Brogan (1957-), an American artist and sculptor renowned for his large-scale public installations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brogan

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

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

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

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