2000
#44,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Carragher
An occupational surname likely referring to a carter or transporter of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 531 Americans carry the last name Carragher. That puts it at #49,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 645,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carragher 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 Carragher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
531
1 in 645,488
Census rank
#49,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
463
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 463 bearers of the surname Carragher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carragher, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carragher
The surname Carragher is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic-speaking regions of Ireland. The name is believed to have derived from the Irish word "carragh," meaning a rock or rocky place, suggesting that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a rocky area or came from a place with a similar name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Carragher can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The name is mentioned in reference to individuals living in County Mayo during the 14th and 15th centuries.
The surname Carragher has also been associated with the Irish surname "Carragher" or "Carriger," which is derived from the Irish word "cairrge," meaning a rock or rocky area. This alternative spelling suggests that the name may have originated from different regions of Ireland or evolved over time due to variations in pronunciation and spelling.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various Irish records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which documented land grants and appointments in Ireland during the Tudor period. One notable individual from this time was John Carragher, who was granted lands in County Galway in the late 1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Carragher surname can be found in various parish records and census documents from counties such as Mayo, Galway, and Sligo, indicating the widespread presence of the name across western Ireland.
Notable individuals with the surname Carragher include:
1. Patrick Carragher (1799-1877), an Irish politician and member of the British Parliament for Dundalk from 1847 to 1857.
2. James Carragher (1870-1942), an Irish-American labor leader and founder of the United Brewery Workers Union in the United States.
3. John Carragher (1885-1962), an Irish-born Australian politician and member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Labor Party.
4. Jamie Carragher (born 1978), a former English professional footballer who played for Liverpool F.C. and the English national team.
5. Michael Carragher (born 1960), an Irish author and academic known for his works on Irish literature and culture.
The surname Carragher has a rich history rooted in the rocky landscapes of Ireland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the medieval period. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions in various fields, reflecting the enduring legacy of this Irish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carragher
Among Census respondents with the surname Carragher, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Carragher 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 Carragher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 420
- Two or more races4.8% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carragher
Carragher 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
#43,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 491
+42 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 1,112 places
2020
#49,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 463
-28 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 5,265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,997 | 449 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,885 | 491 | 0.17 | +42 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 1,112 places |
| 2020 | #49,150 | 463 | 0.15 | -28 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 5,265 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 Carragher 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 | #43,885 | #49,150 | -12.0% |
| Count | 491 | 463 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.15 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carragher bearers went from 491 to 463 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 5,265 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,885 to #49,150.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carragher
FAQ
Carragher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carragher?
Name Census estimates that about 531 living Americans carry the surname Carragher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 645,488 residents.
How common is Carragher?
Carragher ranks #49,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 463 people with the surname Carragher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carragher.
Has Carragher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carragher went from 491 recorded bearers to 463. That is a decrease of 28 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,885 to #49,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Carragher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carragher, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Carragher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (420 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carragher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Carragher (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 Carragher mean?
An occupational surname likely referring to a carter or transporter of goods. 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 Carragher (0.15 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 have the last name Carragher?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Carragher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.