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

Colligan, 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 Colligan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colligan in America

Colligan is the 14902nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colligan surname appeared 1,986 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 Colligan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colligan 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 Colligan

The surname Colligan is of Irish origin and is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, possibly as early as the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "coll" meaning "hazel tree" and "gan" meaning "without," suggesting it may have been a descriptive name for someone living near or in an area without hazel trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of public records from the 16th century. In these records, a John Colligan is mentioned as having received a grant of land in County Westmeath, Ireland, in 1586.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. This work mentions a Dermot Colligan who was involved in a skirmish in County Sligo in the year 1495.

The Colligans were particularly prominent in County Mayo, where the name is believed to have originated. One notable figure was Patrick Colligan, a Catholic priest and historian who lived from 1764 to 1846. He wrote extensively on the history and antiquities of County Mayo.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Colligan family settled in County Tipperary. A member of this branch, Thomas Colligan (1765-1842), was a successful merchant and landowner. He is recorded as having donated funds for the construction of a Catholic church in the town of Clonmel.

Another notable individual with the surname Colligan was John Colligan (1829-1899), a prominent Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became a successful merchant in New York City, amassing a considerable fortune.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colligan

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

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

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

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