2000
#10,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Coogan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cuagain," meaning "descendant of Cuagan," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,006 Americans carry the last name Coogan. That puts it at #11,489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coogan 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 Coogan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,023
Census rank
#11,489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,621 bearers of the surname Coogan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coogan
The surname Coogan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Cuogán," which means "little hunk" or "little pet." It is believed to have originated in County Cavan, located in the northern part of Ireland, during the 8th or 9th century.
The name Coogan can be traced back to the ancient Irish clan of Ó Cuogáin, who were prominent landowners in the Cavan region. The earliest known written record of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a notable figure named Gilla-Pátraic Ó Cuogáin in the year 1216.
In the 14th century, the Coogan family held significant influence and power in the Barony of Tullyhaw, which was part of the ancient territory of Breifne. The Coogans were known for their loyalty to the O'Reilly clan, who were the ruling family of East Breifne (modern-day County Cavan).
One of the earliest known Coogans was Sir Phelim Coogan (c. 1590-1653), an Irish soldier and rebel who played a prominent role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He was a member of the Irish Catholic gentry and led the forces of Ulster in the uprising against English rule.
Another notable figure with the Coogan surname was William Coogan (1832-1922), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. He emigrated to the United States in the 1850s and became a successful entrepreneur in the brewing industry. Coogan founded the William Coogan & Co. Brewery in Detroit, Michigan.
In the 19th century, the surname Coogan also gained recognition through the work of John Coogan (1827-1894), an Irish-American politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the state of Missouri from 1865 to 1867.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Coogan was Jackie Coogan (1914-1984), an American actor and comedian who rose to fame as a child star in the 1920s. He is best remembered for his iconic role as Uncle Fester in the TV series "The Addams Family."
The Coogan surname has maintained a strong presence in Ireland, particularly in Counties Cavan and Monaghan, where many descendants of the original Ó Cuogáin clan still reside. Over time, various spelling variations have emerged, such as Cookan, Cooghan, and Cogan, reflecting regional dialects and anglicization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coogan
Among Census respondents with the surname Coogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Coogan 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 Coogan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,435
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 94
- Two or more races2.0% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coogan
Coogan 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
#11,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,748
+30 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 690 places
2020
#11,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,621
-127 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,773 | 2,718 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,463 | 2,748 | 0.93 | +30 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 690 places |
| 2020 | #11,489 | 2,621 | 0.88 | -127 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 26 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 Coogan 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 | #11,463 | #11,489 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,748 | 2,621 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.88 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coogan bearers went from 2,748 to 2,621 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,463 to #11,489.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Coogan
FAQ
Coogan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coogan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,006 living Americans carry the surname Coogan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,023 residents.
How common is Coogan?
Coogan ranks #11,489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,621 people with the surname Coogan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Coogan.
Has Coogan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coogan went from 2,748 recorded bearers to 2,621. That is a decrease of 127 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,463 to #11,489.
What does the Census say about the background of Coogan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Coogan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coogan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Coogan (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 Coogan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cuagain," meaning "descendant of Cuagan," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Coogan (0.88 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 Coogan?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Coogan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.