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

Enright, 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 Enright surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Enright in America

Enright is the 4951st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Enright surname appeared 7,108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Enright.

We can also compare 2010 data for Enright 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 Enright

The surname Enright is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Limerick and Kerry. It is thought to have derived from the Gaelic words "an rioghacht," which translate to "the kingdom" or "the royal one."

The name Enright is believed to have been first recorded in the 12th century, during the Norman invasion of Ireland. It is possible that the name was originally associated with a person who held a position of authority or had a connection to the royal family or a noble lineage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Enright is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1172, the annals mention a person named Muircheartach Enright, who was described as a chieftain or leader of a clan in the region of Munster.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Enright was prevalent in the counties of Limerick and Kerry, where many families with this surname held land and played influential roles in local affairs. In the 1659 Census of Ireland, several Enright families were recorded in these areas, with variations in spelling such as Enraght and Inright.

One notable figure from history with the surname Enright was John Enright, a 17th-century Irish soldier who fought in the Confederate Wars of the 1640s. He was born around 1620 in County Kerry and played a significant role in defending the city of Limerick against the forces of Oliver Cromwell.

Another prominent individual with the Enright surname was Sir John Enright, who lived in the late 18th century. He was a member of the Irish Parliament and served as the High Sheriff of County Limerick in 1795.

In the 19th century, John Enright (1785-1868) was a renowned Irish Catholic priest and educator. He founded several schools in County Limerick and played a crucial role in promoting education among the Catholic population of Ireland.

Michael Enright (1832-1900) was an Irish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales in the late 19th century.

Joseph Enright (1856-1929) was an American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the iconic Grand Central Terminal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Enright

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!