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

Durkin, 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 Durkin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Durkin in America

Durkin is the 4448th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Durkin surname appeared 7,975 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Durkin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Durkin 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 Durkin

The surname Durkin is of Irish origin, and it can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a variant of the name Durcan, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Ó Dorcáin" or "Ó Dúrcáin." This name is derived from the Irish word "dorcán," which means "little dark one" or "little dark-featured one."

The name Durkin was initially found in County Mayo and County Galway in the west of Ireland. These areas were part of the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Connacht, where the Ó Dorcáin clan was based. The surname is also associated with the Ó Madadhán clan, whose territory was in the region of Síol Anmchadha (now County Galway).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Durkin can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a certain "Donnchadh Ó Dorcáin" who was a chief of the Ó Dorcáin clan in County Mayo in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various legal and administrative records from the west of Ireland. For instance, a man named "Dermot Durkin" is mentioned in a document from 1585, which refers to a land dispute in County Galway.

The earliest known bearer of the surname Durkin was likely Tadhg Ó Dorcáin, a 13th-century Irish chieftain and poet from County Mayo. Other notable individuals with the surname Durkin include Amhlaoibh Ó Dorcáin (fl. 1390), an Irish poet and scholar, and Patrick Durkin (1856-1935), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Bellingen in Queensland, Australia.

The name Durkin has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, including Durkin's Cross in County Galway and Durkin's Lough in County Mayo. These place names likely originated from the presence of Durkin families in those areas.

Other prominent bearers of the surname Durkin throughout history include William Durkin (1826-1888), an Irish journalist and political activist, and Michael Durkin (1878-1953), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of El Paso, Texas.

In summary, the surname Durkin has its roots in the ancient Irish Gaelic name "Ó Dorcáin," and it has been present in the west of Ireland, particularly in Counties Mayo and Galway, since at least the 12th century. The name has a long and rich history, with numerous notable bearers and associations with various places in Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Durkin

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

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

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

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