2000
#4,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.73
Rare Last name
Brogan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Brógáin," meaning "descendant of Brógán," a personal name meaning "sorrowful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,486 Americans carry the last name Brogan. That puts it at #4,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,391 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brogan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Brogan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,391
Census rank
#4,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,400 bearers of the surname Brogan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brogan
Among Census respondents with the surname Brogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brogan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Brogan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 6,835
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 220
- Two or more races2.6% · 189
- Black or African American1.1% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brogan
Brogan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,754
+392 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#4,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,400
-354 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,445 | 7,362 | 2.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,577 | 7,754 | 2.63 | +392 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #4,644 | 7,400 | 2.48 | -354 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 67 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Brogan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,577 | #4,644 | -1.5% |
| Count | 7,754 | 7,400 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.48 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brogan bearers went from 7,754 to 7,400 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,577 to #4,644.
FAQ
Brogan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brogan?
Name Census estimates that about 8,486 living Americans carry the surname Brogan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,391 residents.
How common is Brogan?
Brogan ranks #4,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,400 people with the surname Brogan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brogan.
Has Brogan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brogan went from 7,754 recorded bearers to 7,400. That is a decrease of 354 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,577 to #4,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Brogan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brogan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (6,835 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brogan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Brogan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Brogan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Brógáin," meaning "descendant of Brógán," a personal name meaning "sorrowful." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Brogan (2.48 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Brogan?
Want to know how many people have the surname Brogan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.