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

Finegan, 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 Finegan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finegan in America

Finegan is the 16420th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finegan surname appeared 1,752 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 Finegan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finegan 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 Finegan

The surname Finegan originated in Ireland, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Fínnéagáin, which translates to "descendant of Finneagan." Finneagan, in turn, is a diminutive of the Gaelic personal name Finn, meaning "fair" or "white."

The Finegan surname is most commonly associated with County Longford and the surrounding regions of Leinster, where it is believed to have first emerged. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century, which mentions a Finegan family from County Longford.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish families adopted anglicized versions of their Gaelic surnames to better integrate into English society. This is likely when the Ó Fínnéagáin name transitioned to the anglicized spelling of Finegan.

Notable individuals with the Finegan surname throughout history include John Finegan (1829-1908), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate in the late 19th century. Another prominent figure was Thomas Finegan (1826-1898), a Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools in Ireland and the United States.

In the literary world, James Finegan (1910-1987) was a celebrated Irish poet and playwright, renowned for his works exploring the complexities of Irish identity and culture. His contemporary, Patrick Finegan (1920-1999), was a renowned artist and illustrator whose works adorned the covers of numerous books and magazines.

Moving further back in time, the Finegan name appears in historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as land deeds and parish registers, particularly in the counties of Longford, Westmeath, and Cavan. These records often include variations in spelling, such as Finnegan, Finigan, and Fynegan, reflecting the fluid nature of surnames in that era.

While the Finegan surname has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns, with notable populations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finegan

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

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

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

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