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

Fannon, 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 Fannon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fannon in America

Fannon is the 16195th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fannon surname appeared 1,783 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fannon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fannon 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 Fannon

The surname Fannon is of Irish origin and is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "fánaideach," which means "a wanderer" or "a sojourner." This name is thought to have originated in the 16th century in the northern regions of Ireland, particularly in County Antrim and County Londonderry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fannon appears in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which were tax records for households in Ireland. In these rolls, a family by the name of Fannon is listed as residing in the parish of Aghadowey, County Londonderry.

In the 18th century, the name Fannon was prevalent in the area around Lough Neagh, a freshwater lake situated between County Antrim and County Londonderry. It is possible that the name was associated with families who lived or worked near the lough.

The earliest known bearer of the name Fannon was Patrick Fannon, born in County Londonderry in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in historical records as a landowner and farmer in the area.

Another notable figure with the surname Fannon was John Fannon (1736-1811), an Irish-born merchant and landowner who emigrated to Virginia in the late 18th century. He became a prominent figure in the early American colonies and was involved in the Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, the name Fannon gained some recognition with the birth of James Fannon (1832-1897), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland.

The surname Fannon has also been associated with the place name Fannon, a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is possible that the name originated from this location or that families bearing the surname resided in this area.

Notable individuals with the surname Fannon include Michael Fannon (1858-1932), an Irish politician and member of the British Parliament, and Robert Fannon (1885-1959), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fannon

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

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

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

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