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

Callahan, 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 Callahan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Callahan in America

Callahan is the 682nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Callahan surname appeared 50,524 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Callahan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Callahan 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 Callahan

The surname Callahan has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "O Ceallachain," which translate to "descendant of Ceallachan." Ceallachan was a personal name meaning "bright-headed" or "bright-haired."

The Callahans were one of the leading families in the territory of Uí Mhaine, which is now part of County Galway. They were influential in the region for several centuries and played a significant role in Irish history. The name is also associated with County Cork, where many Callahans have their roots.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle. The text mentions a Ceallachan mac Buadacháin, who was the king of Cashel in the 10th century. This suggests that the Callahan name has a long and distinguished lineage in Ireland.

In the 16th century, the Callahans were among the many Irish families dispossessed of their lands during the Plantation of Munster, a campaign of colonization and confiscation undertaken by the English Crown. Many Callahans were forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or emigrate to other countries.

Notable individuals with the Callahan surname include:

1. Daniel Callahan (1930-2022), an American philosopher and bioethicist.
2. Jared Callahan (1981-), an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name David Hart Smith.
3. Patrick Callahan (1849-1904), an American baseball player and manager who played in the major leagues between 1876 and 1889.
4. Kitty Callahan (1853-1920), an American vaudeville performer and dancer known as the "Queen of the West."
5. William Callahan (1835-1905), an Irish-American politician who served as the 37th Mayor of New York City from 1887 to 1888.

Throughout its history, the Callahan name has been spelled in various ways, including O'Callaghan, Callaghan, Callahan, and Calahan. These variations reflect the name's evolution as it spread across different regions and encountered different linguistic influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Callahan

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

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

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

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