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

Cunigan, 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 Cunigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cunigan in America

Cunigan is the 66164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cunigan surname appeared 299 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 Cunigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cunigan 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 Cunigan

The surname CUNIGAN originates from Ireland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic words 'con' meaning hound or wolf, and 'gan' meaning without, suggesting it was initially a descriptive name for someone who was regarded as brave or fierce.

The earliest recorded instance of the name CUNIGAN can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which were public records of the English sovereign's reign over Ireland. One notable entry from 1596 mentions a Terence Cunigan who was granted lands in County Westmeath.

In the 17th century, the CUNIGAN surname appeared in various records across the Irish provinces of Leinster and Munster. The Petty Census of 1659, one of the earliest comprehensive population surveys in Ireland, listed several Cunigan households in counties like Kilkenny and Tipperary.

One of the earliest known bearers of the CUNIGAN name was Patrick Cunigan, born around 1620 in County Kilkenny. He was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace during the tumultuous period of the Irish Confederate Wars.

Another notable figure was Edmond Cunigan, born in 1678 in County Cork. He was a Catholic priest who ministered to the Irish diaspora in France during the late 17th century, eventually becoming the Vicar-General of the Diocese of Bordeaux.

In the 18th century, the CUNIGAN name appeared in various records related to the Irish diaspora, particularly in North America. Michael Cunigan, born in 1735 in County Tipperary, was a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.

During the 19th century, the surname CUNIGAN was also found in various parts of the United Kingdom, likely due to the migration of Irish families. One notable bearer was Sir Thomas Cunigan, born in 1812 in County Waterford, who was a distinguished civil engineer and was knighted for his contributions to infrastructure projects in Britain and Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cunigan

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

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

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

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