2000
#1,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.22
Uncommon Last name
Fagan
Derived from an Irish Gaelic nickname meaning "the silent one" or "a descendant of a chief."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,523 Americans carry the last name Fagan. That puts it at #2,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,556 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fagan 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 Fagan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,556
Census rank
#2,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,025 bearers of the surname Fagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fagan
The surname Fagan is of Irish origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval Gaelic name O'Fathagain. This name derives from the Old Irish word 'athach', meaning 'fierce' or 'violent', indicating that the original bearer may have been a warrior or a person of a fierce temperament.
Fagan is a anglicized version of the Irish surname O'Fathagain, which evolved over time due to the influence of the English language and the standardization of spelling. The earliest recorded instances of the Fagan surname can be found in various Irish annals and records from the 14th and 15th centuries.
One notable historical reference to the Fagan surname is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname O'Fathagain, including Maelbrighde O'Fathagain, a 15th-century poet and scribe from County Westmeath.
Another early recorded instance of the Fagan surname is in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the Tudor period in Ireland. These records mention individuals such as John Fagan, who was granted lands in County Kildare in the 16th century.
Over the centuries, the Fagan surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded was Patrick Fagan (1537-1618), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure was Robert Fagan (1638-1704), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was known for his role in the Williamite War in Ireland and his support for the Protestant cause.
In the literary world, James Fagan (1824-1886) was a notable Irish-American poet and journalist who wrote for various publications in the United States and Canada. He is best known for his poem "The Irish Emigrant" and his works celebrating Irish culture and identity.
Philip Fagan (1857-1942) was an Irish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Astor Trust Building and the New York Hippodrome Theater. He was a pioneer in the field of skyscraper construction and is considered one of the most influential architects of his time.
In more recent history, Terry Fagan (1938-2016) was an Irish actor and comedian who appeared in numerous films and television shows. He is best known for his roles in popular productions such as "Braveheart" and "Michael Collins", where he showcased his talent for portraying Irish characters with authenticity and humor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Fagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fagan 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 Fagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 13,848
- Black or African American10.9% · 1,855
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 602
- Two or more races3.2% · 541
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fagan
Fagan 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
#2,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,501
+722 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#2,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,025
-476 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 5.70
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,975 | 16,779 | 6.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,063 | 17,501 | 5.93 | +722 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #2,071 | 17,025 | 5.70 | -476 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 8 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 Fagan 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 | #2,063 | #2,071 | -0.4% |
| Count | 17,501 | 17,025 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.93 | 5.70 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fagan bearers went from 17,501 to 17,025 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,063 to #2,071.
FAQ
Fagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fagan?
Name Census estimates that about 19,523 living Americans carry the surname Fagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,556 residents.
How common is Fagan?
Fagan ranks #2,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,025 people with the surname Fagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,523), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Fagan.
Has Fagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fagan went from 17,501 recorded bearers to 17,025. That is a decrease of 476 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,063 to #2,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Fagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Fagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (13,848 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Fagan (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 Fagan mean?
Derived from an Irish Gaelic nickname meaning "the silent one" or "a descendant of a chief." 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 Fagan (5.70 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 Fagan?
See how many Americans have the surname Fagan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.