2000
#2,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,690
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.70
Uncommon Last name
Condon
Derived from the Irish surname "Condún," meaning "chief of the fort" or "wise and mighty chief."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,402 Americans carry the last name Condon. That puts it at #2,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,799 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Condon 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 Condon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,799
Census rank
#2,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,559 bearers of the surname Condon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Condon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Condon
The surname Condon originates from Ireland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Condún, meaning "descendant of Condún." Condún was a personal name derived from the Irish word "conn," meaning wise or prudent.
The name is believed to have originated in County Cork, where many early records of the Condon family can be found. The surname is particularly associated with the baronies of Condons and Clangibbon in east County Cork.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, a medieval document from the late 12th century, which mentions a "William de Condun." The Condon family is also mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1295.
In the 14th century, the Condons were among the most powerful families in the region, holding significant landholdings and positions of authority. The Book of Munster, a 16th-century manuscript, records the Condon family as Lords of Condons and Clangibbon.
Notable individuals with the surname Condon throughout history include:
1. Thomas Condon (1815-1907), an Irish-born Catholic priest and geologist who made significant contributions to the study of paleontology in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
2. Edward O'Meara Condon (1902-1974), an American physicist who played a key role in the Manhattan Project and served as the director of the National Bureau of Standards.
3. Brendan Condon (1917-2003), an Irish politician who served as a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, from 1954 to 1969.
4. Richard Condon (1915-1996), an American novelist best known for his satirical and political thrillers, including the novels "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Prizzi's Honor."
5. John Condon (1785-1828), an Irish-born Catholic priest and theologian who served as the first Bishop of Philadelphia in the United States.
The name Condon has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Condonstown and Condonshinnagh, reflecting the historical presence and influence of the family in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Condon
Among Census respondents with the surname Condon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Condon 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 Condon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 11,407
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 384
- Two or more races3.0% · 371
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 190
- Black or African American0.9% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Condon
Condon 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
#2,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,109
+419 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 4.44
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#2,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,559
-550 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 4.20
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,620 | 12,690 | 4.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,752 | 13,109 | 4.44 | +419 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #2,795 | 12,559 | 4.20 | -550 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 43 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 Condon 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 | #2,752 | #2,795 | -1.6% |
| Count | 13,109 | 12,559 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.44 | 4.20 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Condon bearers went from 13,109 to 12,559 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,752 to #2,795.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Condon
FAQ
Condon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Condon?
Name Census estimates that about 14,402 living Americans carry the surname Condon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,799 residents.
How common is Condon?
Condon ranks #2,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,559 people with the surname Condon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,402), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Condon.
Has Condon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Condon went from 13,109 recorded bearers to 12,559. That is a decrease of 550 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,752 to #2,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Condon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Condon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Condon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (11,407 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Condon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Condon (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 Condon mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "Condún," meaning "chief of the fort" or "wise and mighty chief." 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 Condon (4.20 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 are called Condon?
Want to know how common the surname Condon is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.