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

Fegans, 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 Fegans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fegans in America

Fegans is the 104156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fegans surname appeared 172 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fegans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fegans 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 Fegans

The surname Fegans has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is an occupational name, derived from the Old English word 'fegere', meaning a man who polished or cleansed garments, known as a 'figue'. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1181, where a William Fygur was listed.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England, there are references to the village of Figenham, which may have been the origin of the name Fegans. This village was located in what is now Essex, and it's possible that the Fegans family resided there or nearby.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Roger Figuere, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1214. Another early bearer was Simon Fygur, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Figen, Figgon, and Figgen, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. Notably, Thomas Figen was recorded in the Muster Rolls of Leicestershire in 1569.

During the 17th century, the spelling of the name began to solidify into its modern form, Fegans. One of the earliest instances of this spelling was John Fegans, who was baptized in St. Dunstan's Church, Stepney, in 1632.

Notable people with the surname Fegans throughout history include:

1. Sir Ralph Fegans (1595-1669), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark.
2. Edward Fegans (1771-1837), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Mary Fegans (1820-1892), an Irish author and philanthropist who founded the Fegans Homes for Destitute Children.
4. Sir William Fegans (1847-1923), a British businessman and philanthropist, known for his work in establishing the Fegans Homes for Destitute Children alongside his wife, Mary Fegans.
5. John Fegans (1892-1977), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fegans

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fegans, 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!