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

Brosnahan, 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 Brosnahan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brosnahan in America

Brosnahan is the 53316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brosnahan surname appeared 388 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 Brosnahan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brosnahan 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 Brosnahan

The surname Brosnahan is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the County Kerry region of Ireland. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "brosna" and "nach," which together translate to "of the badger's place" or "badger's den." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place or area known for its population of badgers.

The earliest recorded instances of the Brosnahan surname can be found in ancient Irish records and manuscripts dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Brosnahan family in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century.

While the Brosnahan name does not appear in the Domesday Book, a historic record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are records of the name in other historical documents from Ireland and the United Kingdom.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Brosnahan surname was Dermot Brosnahan, who was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in the late 16th century. He was a prominent landowner and member of the local gentry.

Another notable figure was John Brosnahan, an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the 18th century. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was present at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, where the British forces surrendered to the American and French armies.

In the 19th century, James Brosnahan (1808-1885) was a prominent Irish politician and member of the British Parliament, representing County Kerry in the House of Commons.

Mary Brosnahan (1860-1932) was a renowned Irish storyteller and folklore collector from County Kerry. She played a significant role in preserving and documenting the oral traditions and folktales of her region.

Patrick Brosnahan (1880-1958) was an Irish-American labor leader and activist. He was instrumental in organizing workers and advocating for better working conditions in the early 20th century.

Throughout history, variations of the Brosnahan surname have included spellings such as Broshnahan, Broshnaham, and Brosnaghan, reflecting the evolution of the name over time and its adaptation to different regions and languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brosnahan

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

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

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

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