2000
#9,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Callihan
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "O Ceallachain," which means "descendant of Ceallachán," an Irish Gaelic personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,293 Americans carry the last name Callihan. That puts it at #10,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Callihan 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,086
Census rank
#10,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,872 bearers of the surname Callihan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Callihan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Callihan
The surname Callihan is believed to have originated in Ireland, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "calla" meaning "strife" or "war" and "an" meaning "one who," suggesting that the name may have referred to a warrior or someone who was involved in conflicts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The name appears in an entry from the year 1202, which mentions a "Domhnall Ó Callagháin" who was involved in a battle between Irish clans.
In the 14th century, the name Callihan was also found in various legal documents and land records in counties such as Tipperary and Cork, indicating that the family had established roots in these regions of southern Ireland.
The earliest known bearer of the name was Seán Ó Callagháin, who lived in the late 15th century and was a member of a prominent Irish clan. He is mentioned in the Book of Howth, a genealogical manuscript from the late 15th century, which records him as the chief of his family at the time.
Another notable figure was Tadhg Ó Callagháin, born in 1620, who was a renowned Irish poet and scholar. He was known for his compositions in the Irish language and his expertise in the ancient laws and customs of Ireland.
In the 18th century, the name Callihan began to appear more frequently in records of Irish immigrants to North America, particularly in the United States and Canada. One such individual was Patrick Callihan, who was born in County Cork in 1745 and later settled in Pennsylvania.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Michael Callihan, born in 1810 in County Tipperary. He was a successful businessman and landowner in Ireland before emigrating to Australia in the mid-19th century, where he became involved in the development of the city of Melbourne.
As the Callihan family spread throughout the English-speaking world, variations in spelling emerged, such as Callaghan, Calahan, and Callinan. However, the original Irish form of Ó Callagháin remained in use among some branches of the family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Callihan
Among Census respondents with the surname Callihan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Callihan 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 Callihan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,582
- Black or African American3.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 89
- Two or more races2.6% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Callihan
Callihan 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
#10,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,122
+47 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 627 places
2020
#10,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,872
-250 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 314 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,693 | 3,075 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,320 | 3,122 | 1.06 | +47 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 627 places |
| 2020 | #10,634 | 2,872 | 0.96 | -250 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 314 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 Callihan 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 | #10,320 | #10,634 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,122 | 2,872 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.96 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Callihan bearers went from 3,122 to 2,872 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 314 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,320 to #10,634.
FAQ
Callihan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Callihan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,293 living Americans carry the surname Callihan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,086 residents.
How common is Callihan?
Callihan ranks #10,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,872 people with the surname Callihan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,293), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Callihan.
Has Callihan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Callihan went from 3,122 recorded bearers to 2,872. That is a decrease of 250 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,320 to #10,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Callihan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Callihan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Callihan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Callihan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Black (3.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Callihan (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 Callihan mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "O Ceallachain," which means "descendant of Ceallachán," an Irish Gaelic personal name. 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 Callihan (0.96 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 Americans have the surname Callihan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.