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

Degnan, 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 Degnan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Degnan in America

Degnan is the 12215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Degnan surname appeared 2,549 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 Degnan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Degnan 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 Degnan

The surname DEGNAN is of Irish origin, emerging in the early medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "deaganach," which means "decanus" or "dean." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have held ecclesiastical positions as deans or were closely associated with church officials.

The name is believed to have originated in the counties of Longford and Westmeath in the Irish Midlands. Some of the earliest recorded instances 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 notable entry mentions a Donnchadh Deganach, who was the Bishop of Raphoe in the early 13th century.

In the 16th century, the surname DEGNAN appeared in various forms, such as Deaganaigh, Degannagh, and Degnane, reflecting the linguistic variations and dialects of different regions. The anglicized spelling "DEGNAN" became more prevalent during the 17th and 18th centuries.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname DEGNAN was Patrick Degnan, born around 1610 in County Longford, Ireland. He was a prominent landowner and played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

Another notable figure was John DEGNAN (1683-1755), a Catholic priest and philosopher from County Westmeath. He studied at the University of Louvain in Belgium and later became a professor of philosophy at the Irish College in Paris.

In the 19th century, James DEGNAN (1823-1901) was a renowned Irish-American architect based in New York City. He designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue.

Mary DEGNAN (1858-1935) was an Irish-American philanthropist and social reformer from Chicago. She founded the St. Mary's Settlement House, which provided educational and social services to immigrants and underprivileged families.

During the 20th century, John DEGNAN (1906-1989) was a prominent American lawyer and politician from New Jersey. He served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1954 to 1958 and played a crucial role in the state's legal affairs.

While the surname DEGNAN is primarily associated with Ireland, it has also been carried by individuals of Irish descent around the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, where many Irish immigrants settled over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Degnan

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

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

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

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