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

Cavanagh, 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 Cavanagh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cavanagh in America

Cavanagh is the 8114th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cavanagh surname appeared 4,086 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cavanagh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cavanagh 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 Cavanagh

The surname Cavanagh has its origins in Ireland, emerging in the 11th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Cavanaigh, meaning "descendant of Cavanagh." The name is derived from the Irish word "caomhánach," meaning "monk" or "servant."

The Cavanaghs were a prominent family in County Donegal, Ireland, and were part of the Cenél Conaill dynasty. They held significant power and influence in the region during the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, an chronicles of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.

In the 13th century, the Cavanaghs were involved in various conflicts with other Irish clans and the Anglo-Norman invaders. One notable figure was Donnchad Ó Cavanaigh, who led the Cavanagh clan in battles against the English in Donegal in the late 13th century.

As the name spread across Ireland, variations in spelling emerged, including Cavanagh, Kavanaugh, Kavanagh, and Cavanaugh. The name was also associated with several place names, such as Ballykavanagh and Clonmullen in County Carlow.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Cavanagh throughout history are:

1. Brian Cavanagh (c. 1590-1647), an Irish Catholic priest and chronicler who documented events during the Irish Confederate Wars.
2. Michael Cavanagh (1823-1890), an Irish-born Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.
3. John Cavanagh (1864-1939), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.
4. Art Cavanagh (1930-2020), an American professional baseball player who played for the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Athletics.
5. James Cavanagh (1958-2004), an Irish hurler who played for the Kilkenny senior hurling team and is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

The surname Cavanagh continues to be found across Ireland, as well as in countries with significant Irish diaspora populations, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cavanagh

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

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

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

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