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

Cusack, 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 Cusack surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cusack in America

Cusack is the 8844th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cusack surname appeared 3,704 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 Cusack.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cusack 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 Cusack

The surname Cusack is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname O'Cusaigh, which originated in County Meath, Ireland. The name is derived from the Gaelic word 'cusac' meaning 'footstep' or 'track'.

The Cusacks were a prominent Irish family who held lands in County Meath from the 12th century onwards. The name first appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1166.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is Sir Thomas Cusack, who was born around 1490 and served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland in the 16th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Cusack, Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1554.

The Cusack family also had strong connections to the town of Coolock, located near Dublin. The name of the town is believed to be derived from the Irish 'Cuil Uisceach', meaning 'marshy corner', and may have been associated with the Cusack family's lands in the area.

During the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, the Cusack family played a significant role in supporting the English forces. This led to the anglicization of their surname from O'Cusaigh to Cusack.

Prominent individuals with the surname Cusack throughout history include:

1. Cyril Cusack (1910-1993), an Irish actor known for his roles in films like 'The Remains of the Day' and 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'.
2. Mary Cusack (1830-1899), also known as 'The Nun of Kenmare', an Irish nun and author who wrote about her experiences in religious life.
3. Dymphna Cusack (1902-1981), an Australian author and activist known for her novels exploring social and political issues.
4. John Cusack (born 1966), an American actor and producer, best known for his roles in films like 'Say Anything', 'High Fidelity', and 'Grosse Pointe Blank'.
5. Adam Cusack (born 1989), an Irish rugby union player who has represented Ireland at international level.

The surname Cusack continues to be prevalent in Ireland, particularly in the provinces of Leinster and Munster, as well as among Irish diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cusack

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cusack, 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!