2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dugans
A surname likely originating from the Irish surname Ó Dubhagáin, meaning descendant of Dubhagán.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Dugans. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dugans 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Dugans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dugans, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dugans
The surname Dugans is of Irish origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period in the counties of Donegal and Tyrone in Ulster, Ireland. The name is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Dubhagán," which means "little black man" or "dark man." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have had a dark complexion or swarthy appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Dubhagán mac Maíl Sechnaill" in the year 1150. This individual was likely a member of the O'Donnell clan, one of the most influential families in the region at the time.
In the 16th century, the Dugans were a prominent family in the Barony of Raphoe in County Donegal. They were part of the Gaelic nobility and held lands in the area. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Dugan" or "Doughan," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common before standardization.
One notable figure bearing the surname was Sir Murtagh Dugan, who lived in the late 16th century and served as a member of the Irish Parliament. He was a landowner and a supporter of the O'Donnell clan during the Nine Years' War against English forces.
Another historically significant individual was Reverend Terence Dugan, a Catholic priest who lived in the late 17th century. He was instrumental in preserving Irish Gaelic literature and transcribing ancient manuscripts during a period of cultural suppression under English rule.
In the 18th century, the name Dugans was associated with the town of Ballyshannon in County Donegal, where several families bearing the name were recorded in local records and land registries.
During the 19th century, many Dugans emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada, due to events such as the Great Famine and political turmoil. This led to the widespread dispersal of the name across various regions.
One notable figure from this period was John Dugans, a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the late 19th century.
Another individual of note was Mary Dugans, an Irish-American labor activist and trade unionist who played a significant role in advocating for workers' rights in the early 20th century.
Overall, the surname Dugans has a rich history rooted in the Gaelic culture of Ireland, with various branches and individuals making their mark across different periods and regions throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dugans
Among Census respondents with the surname Dugans, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dugans 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 Dugans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.3% · 57
- White44.0% · 48
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dugans
Dugans 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+25 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,632 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-20 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,826 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 14,632 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 18,826 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 Dugans 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 | #131,379 | #150,205 | -14.3% |
| Count | 129 | 109 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dugans bearers went from 129 to 109 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 18,826 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #150,205.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dugans
FAQ
Dugans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dugans?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Dugans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Dugans?
Dugans ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Dugans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dugans.
Has Dugans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dugans went from 129 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Dugans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dugans, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dugans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.3% (57 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dugans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.3%), White (44.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Dugans (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 Dugans mean?
A surname likely originating from the Irish surname Ó Dubhagáin, meaning descendant of Dubhagán. 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 Dugans (0.04 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 have the surname Dugans?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.