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

Callaghan, 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 Callaghan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Callaghan in America

Callaghan is the 5614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Callaghan surname appeared 6,191 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Callaghan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Callaghan 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 Callaghan

The surname Callaghan has its roots in Ireland, originating from the Irish Gaelic O'Callaghan or O'Ceallacháin. It is derived from the Irish words "ceall" meaning church and "achadh" meaning field, thus translating to "church settler" or "dweller by the church". The name is believed to have emerged in the 10th century, primarily in the areas of County Cork and County Kerry.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it mentions the death of Donnchadh Ó Callagháin in 1242. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a seminal work of medieval Irish literature, which documents the exploits of various Callaghan families in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including O'Callaghan, Callaghan, Calahan, and Callahan. These variations can be attributed to the anglicization of the name as well as regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Notable individuals with the surname Callaghan include:

1. Jeremiah Callaghan (1745-1820), an Irish-American merchant and politician who served as Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina.
2. Sir Ralph Callaghan (c. 1835-1904), a British naval officer who commanded the Royal Navy's Pacific Station during the late 19th century.
3. James Callaghan (1912-2005), a British Labour politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979.
4. Morley Callaghan (1903-1990), a Canadian novelist and literary figure known for his works depicting life in Toronto's working-class neighborhoods.
5. James Callaghan (1912-2005), a British Labour politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979.

The Callaghan name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Callaghan's Cross in County Cork and Callaghan's Bridge in County Kerry, further solidifying its historical ties to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Callaghan

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

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

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

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