2000
#4,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.48
Rare Last name
Enright
Of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Indreachtach," meaning "attacker" or "raider."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,770 Americans carry the last name Enright. That puts it at #5,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Enright 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 Enright with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,113
Census rank
#5,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,776 bearers of the surname Enright in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Enright, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Enright
Among Census respondents with the surname Enright, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Enright 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 Enright surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 6,164
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 253
- Two or more races3.1% · 213
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 45
- Black or African American0.6% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Enright
Enright 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
#4,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,108
+406 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#5,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,776
-332 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,813 | 6,702 | 2.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,951 | 7,108 | 2.41 | +406 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #5,018 | 6,776 | 2.27 | -332 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 67 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 Enright 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 | #4,951 | #5,018 | -1.4% |
| Count | 7,108 | 6,776 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.41 | 2.27 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Enright bearers went from 7,108 to 6,776 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,951 to #5,018.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Enright
FAQ
Enright surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Enright?
Name Census estimates that about 7,770 living Americans carry the surname Enright. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,113 residents.
How common is Enright?
Enright ranks #5,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,776 people with the surname Enright. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Enright.
Has Enright become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Enright went from 7,108 recorded bearers to 6,776. That is a decrease of 332 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,951 to #5,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Enright?
Among Census respondents with the surname Enright, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Enright in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (6,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Enright appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Enright (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 Enright mean?
Of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Indreachtach," meaning "attacker" or "raider." 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 Enright (2.27 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 common is the surname Enright?
See how many Americans have the surname Enright on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.