2000
#12,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Drennen
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Draighneáin," meaning "descendant of Draighneán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,508 Americans carry the last name Drennen. That puts it at #13,334 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drennen 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.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,664
Census rank
#13,334
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,187 bearers of the surname Drennen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13334th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drennen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drennen
Among Census respondents with the surname Drennen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Drennen 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 Drennen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,993
- Two or more races3.7% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 54
- Black or African American2.2% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drennen
Drennen 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
#13,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,340
+100 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 434 places
2020
#13,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,187
-153 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,667 | 2,240 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,101 | 2,340 | 0.79 | +100 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 434 places |
| 2020 | #13,334 | 2,187 | 0.73 | -153 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 233 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 Drennen 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 | #13,101 | #13,334 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,340 | 2,187 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.73 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drennen bearers went from 2,340 to 2,187 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 233 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,101 to #13,334.
FAQ
Drennen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drennen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,508 living Americans carry the surname Drennen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,664 residents.
How common is Drennen?
Drennen ranks #13,334 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,187 people with the surname Drennen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Drennen.
Has Drennen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drennen went from 2,340 recorded bearers to 2,187. That is a decrease of 153 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,101 to #13,334.
What does the Census say about the background of Drennen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drennen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (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 Drennen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,993 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drennen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (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 Drennen (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 Drennen mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Draighneáin," meaning "descendant of Draighneán," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Drennen (0.73 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 Americans have the surname Drennen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.