2000
#18,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Caughey
A variant of the English locational surname referring to a place called Cawkee.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,429 Americans carry the last name Caughey. That puts it at #21,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 239,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caughey 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 Caughey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 239,856
Census rank
#21,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,246 bearers of the surname Caughey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caughey
The surname Caughey has its origins in Ireland. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name O'Caidhidh, which means "descendant of Caidhidh." Caidhidh is a personal name derived from the word "cadha," meaning "kind" or "gentle."
This surname can be traced back to County Armagh, a region in Northern Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 16th century. The earliest known spelling of the name was Caha or Caha, which eventually evolved into Caughey.
One of the earliest references to the name Caughey can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of Irish documents from the late 16th century. This record mentions a land grant given to a certain "John Caha" in County Armagh.
In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Caugheys were among the Scottish and English settlers who were granted lands in Ireland. This led to the further spread and establishment of the surname in various parts of the island.
Notable individuals with the surname Caughey include:
1. James Caughey (1810-1891), an American Methodist evangelist and revivalist preacher who was born in Ireland.
2. John Caughey (1788-1858), an Irish-born American Methodist minister and author.
3. Patrick Caughey (1767-1835), an Irish Roman Catholic priest and philosopher.
4. William Caughey (1788-1866), an Irish-born American Methodist minister and author, brother of John Caughey.
5. Samuel Caughey (1807-1871), an Irish-born American Methodist minister and educator.
The surname Caughey has been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Caughey's Quarter and Caughey's Hill in County Armagh, indicating the historical presence of families bearing this name in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caughey
Among Census respondents with the surname Caughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Caughey 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 Caughey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,162
- Two or more races4.3% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caughey
Caughey 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
#20,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,290
-73 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 1,919 places
2020
#21,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,246
-44 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 828 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,634 | 1,363 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,553 | 1,290 | 0.44 | -73 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 1,919 places |
| 2020 | #21,381 | 1,246 | 0.42 | -44 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 828 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 Caughey 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 | #20,553 | #21,381 | -4.0% |
| Count | 1,290 | 1,246 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.42 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caughey bearers went from 1,290 to 1,246 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 828 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,553 to #21,381.
FAQ
Caughey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caughey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,429 living Americans carry the surname Caughey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 239,856 residents.
How common is Caughey?
Caughey ranks #21,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,246 people with the surname Caughey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,429), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Caughey.
Has Caughey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caughey went from 1,290 recorded bearers to 1,246. That is a decrease of 44 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,553 to #21,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Caughey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Caughey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,162 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caughey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Caughey (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 Caughey mean?
A variant of the English locational surname referring to a place called Cawkee. 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 Caughey (0.42 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 surname Caughey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.