2000
#11,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,451
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Degnan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Duibhgeannáin," meaning "descendant of the dark-haired one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,891 Americans carry the last name Degnan. That puts it at #11,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Degnan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Degnan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,559
Census rank
#11,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,521 bearers of the surname Degnan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Degnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Degnan
Among Census respondents with the surname Degnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Degnan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Degnan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,317
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 97
- Two or more races2.5% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Degnan
Degnan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,549
+98 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 496 places
2020
#11,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,521
-28 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,719 | 2,451 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,215 | 2,549 | 0.86 | +98 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 496 places |
| 2020 | #11,875 | 2,521 | 0.84 | -28 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 340 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Degnan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,215 | #11,875 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,549 | 2,521 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.84 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Degnan bearers went from 2,549 to 2,521 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 340 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,215 to #11,875.
FAQ
Degnan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Degnan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,891 living Americans carry the surname Degnan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,559 residents.
How common is Degnan?
Degnan ranks #11,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,521 people with the surname Degnan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,891), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Degnan.
Has Degnan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Degnan went from 2,549 recorded bearers to 2,521. That is a decrease of 28 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,215 to #11,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Degnan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Degnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Degnan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,317 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Degnan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Degnan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Degnan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Duibhgeannáin," meaning "descendant of the dark-haired one." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Degnan (0.84 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Degnan?
See how many people have the surname Degnan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.