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

Coughran, 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 Coughran surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coughran in America

Coughran is the 40672nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coughran surname appeared 537 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Coughran.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coughran 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 Coughran

The surname Coughran is believed to have originated in Ireland during the 16th century. It is thought to be an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Cochrann," which means "descendant of Cochran." The name Cochran itself is derived from the Irish word "cuachran," meaning "cup-like hollow."

The Coughran surname is primarily associated with County Donegal in Ulster, located in the northwest of Ireland. It is believed that the clan settled in this region during the 16th century, though there are records of the name appearing in other parts of Ireland as well.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Coughran name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The name is mentioned in an entry from 1592, referring to a "Cochran" who was involved in a conflict in County Donegal.

In the 18th century, the Coughran name began to spread beyond Ireland due to emigration. Several individuals bearing this surname can be found in historical records from this period, such as James Coughran, who was born in County Donegal in 1725 and later settled in Pennsylvania, USA.

Another notable figure was Patrick Coughran, an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1745 and served in the Continental Army under General George Washington.

In the 19th century, the Coughran surname gained recognition through individuals like William Coughran, an Irish-born writer and journalist who lived from 1818 to 1891. He wrote extensively about Irish history and culture, and his works are considered valuable historical resources.

Mary Coughran, born in 1844 in County Donegal, was another notable individual. She emigrated to the United States in the 1860s and became involved in the women's suffrage movement, advocating for the right of women to vote.

In more recent times, the Coughran name has been carried by individuals like the Irish actor and writer Brendan Coughran, who was born in 1942 and is known for his work in theater and television.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coughran

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!