2000
#5,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,234
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Rare Last name
Carrigan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Carragáin," meaning "descendant of Carragán" (a diminutive of "carrach," meaning "scabby" or "mangy").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,857 Americans carry the last name Carrigan. That puts it at #5,610 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrigan 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 Carrigan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,986
Census rank
#5,610
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,980 bearers of the surname Carrigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5610th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrigan
The surname Carrigan originates from Ireland and has its roots in the Gaelic language. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "carrigan," meaning "rocky land" or "rough terrain." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptive term referring to the landscape inhabited by the family's earliest ancestors.
The Carrigan surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with records indicating its presence in various parts of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Leitrim, Sligo, and Mayo. The earliest known bearer of this name was Gillebertus Carriganus, mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in 1181.
In the 13th century, the Carrigan family held lands in County Leitrim, and their name appears in the Annals of Connacht, an important medieval Irish chronicle. One notable entry mentions Muircheartach Carrigan, a local chieftain who was slain in a battle in 1256.
The surname Carrigan has also been recorded in various spellings throughout history, such as Carrigan, Carragan, Carraghan, and Carigan. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the transition from Gaelic to English spelling conventions.
Among notable individuals bearing the Carrigan surname, one can mention:
1. Sir William Carrigan (1814-1895), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1888 to 1892.
2. Denis Carrigan (1848-1924), an Irish priest and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the Diocese of Ossory and the local folklore of County Kilkenny.
3. John Carrigan (1887-1960), an Irish author and journalist who published several novels and short stories depicting life in rural Ireland.
4. Kathleen Carrigan (1902-1982), an Irish writer and playwright known for her works depicting the struggles of working-class women in Dublin.
5. Michael Carrigan (1920-2000), an Irish artist and painter renowned for his landscapes and seascapes of the west of Ireland.
While the Carrigan surname has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrigan 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 Carrigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 5,156
- Black or African American4.8% · 290
- Two or more races3.7% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrigan
Carrigan 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
#5,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,290
+56 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#5,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,980
-310 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,163 | 6,234 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,529 | 6,290 | 2.13 | +56 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #5,610 | 5,980 | 2.00 | -310 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 81 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 Carrigan 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 | #5,529 | #5,610 | -1.5% |
| Count | 6,290 | 5,980 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 2.00 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrigan bearers went from 6,290 to 5,980 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,529 to #5,610.
FAQ
Carrigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrigan?
Name Census estimates that about 6,857 living Americans carry the surname Carrigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,986 residents.
How common is Carrigan?
Carrigan ranks #5,610 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,980 people with the surname Carrigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,857), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Carrigan.
Has Carrigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrigan went from 6,290 recorded bearers to 5,980. That is a decrease of 310 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,529 to #5,610.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Carrigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (5,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Carrigan (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 Carrigan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Carragáin," meaning "descendant of Carragán" (a diminutive of "carrach," meaning "scabby" or "mangy"). 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 Carrigan (2.00 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 Carrigan?
You can see how many people have the surname Carrigan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.