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

Dargan, 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 Dargan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dargan in America

Dargan is the 15533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dargan surname appeared 1,884 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 Dargan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dargan 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 Dargan

The surname Dargan is believed to have originated in Ireland, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Dargáin, which means "descendant of Dargán." Dargán itself is a personal name that may be related to the Old Irish word "derg," meaning "red" or "ruddy."

The Dargan name was historically associated with County Antrim in Ulster, where it was prevalent among families in the Glens of Antrim. Some early recordings of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Dargan was William Dargan (1799-1867), a prominent Irish engineer and contractor. He was responsible for constructing several important railway lines in Ireland and was also involved in the organization of the Great Industrial Exhibition in Dublin in 1853.

Another notable figure was John Dargan (1786-1868), an Irish entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a successful businessman and a major landowner in County Antrim, and he donated funds for the construction of several churches and schools in the region.

In the 16th century, a family named Dargan was recorded as residing in the area of Glenarm, County Antrim. This may be related to the place name "Dargan's Bridge," which is located near the village of Cushendall in the Glens of Antrim.

Other historical figures with the Dargan surname include Patrick Dargan (1719-1798), an Irish landowner and politician who served as a Member of the Irish Parliament for County Antrim, and James Dargan (1804-1864), an Irish-born civil engineer who worked on infrastructure projects in Australia.

It's worth noting that the name Dargan has also been found with various spelling variations, such as Dargen, Dergan, and Dergin, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in earlier centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dargan

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

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

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

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