2000
#2,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,941
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.43
Uncommon Last name
Duggan
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Dubhagáin," from the Gaelic elements dubh, meaning "black," and agán, meaning "yearling."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,645 Americans carry the last name Duggan. That puts it at #2,960 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duggan 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 Duggan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,119
Census rank
#2,960
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,899 bearers of the surname Duggan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2960th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duggan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duggan
The surname Duggan originates from Ireland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Duagáin, meaning "descendant of Duagán." Duagán was a personal name derived from the Irish word "dua," meaning "swarthy" or "dark-featured."
The name has roots in County Mayo, where it was first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Tomás Ó Duagáin, a scribe and poet who lived in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the reign of Henry VIII. This suggests that the Duggans were a prominent family during this period.
The name is also associated with the Irish chieftain Conchobhar Ó Duagáin, who led a rebellion against English rule in County Mayo in the late 16th century. His descendants continued to hold significant lands in the area until the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 17th century.
One notable bearer of the name was Diarmaid Ó Duagáin, a 17th-century Irish poet and soldier who fought in the Confederate Wars. He is remembered for his vivid descriptions of the Battle of Benburb in 1646.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various parish records and land surveys, indicating the family's continued presence in Mayo and other parts of Connacht.
Other notable individuals with the surname Duggan include:
1. William Duggan (1805-1868), an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor.
2. Jeremiah Duggan (1897-1963), an Irish playwright and novelist.
3. Maurice Duggan (1922-1976), a New Zealand writer and novelist.
4. Michael Duggan (born 1958), an Irish former hurler who played for Kilkenny.
5. Mike Duggan (born 1958), the current Mayor of Detroit, Michigan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duggan
Among Census respondents with the surname Duggan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Duggan 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 Duggan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 10,678
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 388
- Two or more races2.9% · 349
- Black or African American2.8% · 337
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duggan
Duggan 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
#2,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,237
+296 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 4.15
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#2,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,899
-338 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.98
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,773 | 11,941 | 4.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,928 | 12,237 | 4.15 | +296 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #2,960 | 11,899 | 3.98 | -338 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 32 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 Duggan 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 | #2,928 | #2,960 | -1.1% |
| Count | 12,237 | 11,899 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.15 | 3.98 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duggan bearers went from 12,237 to 11,899 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,928 to #2,960.
FAQ
Duggan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duggan?
Name Census estimates that about 13,645 living Americans carry the surname Duggan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,119 residents.
How common is Duggan?
Duggan ranks #2,960 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,899 people with the surname Duggan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,645), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Duggan.
Has Duggan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duggan went from 12,237 recorded bearers to 11,899. That is a decrease of 338 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,928 to #2,960.
What does the Census say about the background of Duggan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duggan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Duggan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (10,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duggan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Duggan (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 Duggan mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Dubhagáin," from the Gaelic elements dubh, meaning "black," and agán, meaning "yearling." 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 Duggan (3.98 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 share the surname Duggan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.