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

Drennen, 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 Drennen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drennen in America

Drennen is the 13101st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drennen surname appeared 2,340 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 Drennen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drennen 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 Drennen

The surname Drennen has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "draighneán" and "draighneach," which both refer to the blackthorn tree or shrub. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a blackthorn thicket or grove.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of this surname was John Drennen, who was born around 1590 in County Antrim, Ireland. He was mentioned in a document from 1617 regarding a land dispute in the area of Ballymoney.

Another notable early bearer of the Drennen name was Robert Drennen, born in 1625 in County Down, Ireland. He is listed in parish records from the late 17th century as a landowner and farmer in the Killyleagh area.

In the late 18th century, the Drennen surname began appearing in Scottish records as well, likely due to migration from Ireland. One example is James Drennen, born in 1765 in Ayrshire, Scotland, who was a merchant and shipowner.

As the name spread throughout the British Isles, it also developed various spelling variations, such as Drennan, Drennon, and Drennin. One prominent bearer of this variant was William Drennan (1754-1820), an Irish physician, poet, and co-founder of the Society of United Irishmen.

Another notable figure was Thomas Drennan (1809-1892), an Irish-born Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.

John Drennen (1841-1903) was an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 1892 to 1896.

The Drennen surname also found its way to Australia, where James Drennen (1860-1932) was a successful sheep farmer and landowner in New South Wales.

Overall, the Drennen surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple countries, with roots firmly planted in the Irish language and landscape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drennen

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

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

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

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