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

Dorgan, 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 Dorgan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dorgan in America

Dorgan is the 16881st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dorgan surname appeared 1,688 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 Dorgan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dorgan 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 Dorgan

The surname Dorgan originated in Ireland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Dorgán," which means "little freckled person." The name was likely a descriptive nickname given to someone with a freckled complexion.

The Dorgan name has its roots in County Cork, particularly in the areas around Mallow and Fermoy. It is believed that the name may have originated from the Irish word "dorgán," which means "grim" or "surly," and could have been a nickname for someone with a stern or serious demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dorgan name can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, dated 1586, which mentions a "Dermot Dorgan." This suggests that the name was already established in Ireland by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Dorgan name appears in various historical records, including the Petty's Census of Ireland in 1659, which lists several Dorgan families in County Cork. One notable individual from this period was Dermot Dorgan, a landowner in the parish of Kilworth, County Cork, who was mentioned in the Books of Survey and Distribution in 1670.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dorgan name continued to be prevalent in County Cork, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was John Dorgan (1743-1812), a prominent landowner and merchant in Fermoy, County Cork.

Another notable Dorgan was William Dorgan (1833-1905), a Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1892 to 1893. He was born in County Cork and later emigrated to the United States.

In the late 19th century, the Dorgan name also gained prominence in the field of education with Thomas J. Dorgan (1857-1931), an Irish-American educator and author who served as the principal of Boston Latin School from 1898 to 1928.

While the Dorgan surname has its roots in Ireland, particularly in County Cork, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Irish Gaelic word "Dorgán," representing a descriptive nickname for a person with freckles or a stern demeanor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dorgan

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

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

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

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