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

Finan, 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 Finan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finan in America

Finan is the 13383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finan surname appeared 2,276 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 Finan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finan 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 Finan

The surname Finan is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Fionnán," which means "fair-haired" or "white." This name was likely given to individuals with fair complexions or light-colored hair, a common practice in many cultures.

One of the earliest known records of the name Finan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention "Fínan Ua Dróna," who was the abbot of Iona, an important monastic center in Scotland, in the late 7th century. This indicates that the name was in use during this time period.

In the 12th century, the name appears in the Book of Leinster, a medieval Irish manuscript containing a compilation of various works. The text mentions "Fínan of Rath-Inbhir," who was a renowned scholar and poet from County Donegal.

During the 16th century, the surname Finan was particularly prevalent in Counties Donegal, Tyrone, and Armagh in Ulster. It was often anglicized as "Finian" or "Fynyn" in official records and documents.

One notable figure with the surname Finan was John Finan (1809-1876), an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Bishop of Kansas City, Missouri. Another remarkable individual was Patrick Finan (1856-1939), an Irish-American labor leader who played a significant role in the establishment of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.

In the literary world, the name Finan was borne by John Joseph Finan (1875-1960), an Irish-American writer and educator who authored several books on Irish history and literature. Additionally, Michael Finan (1858-1939) was an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Bishop of Salt Lake City.

The name Finan has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Finanterin (Fíonán Teirinne) in County Donegal and Finavon (Fionn Abhainn) in County Tipperary, further demonstrating its deep roots in the country's history and geography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finan

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

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

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

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