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

Finn, 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 Finn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finn in America

Finn is the 1721st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finn surname appeared 20,852 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Finn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finn 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 Finn

The surname Finn is believed to have originated in Ireland and parts of Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "Fionn" which means "fair-haired" or "white". This name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with blonde or fair hair.

The name Finn can be traced back to the 10th century in Ireland, where it appeared in ancient Irish manuscripts and records. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is in the Annals of Ulster, which chronicles events in medieval Ireland.

In the 12th century, the surname Finn is found in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that people with the name had migrated from Ireland to England during that time.

Notable historical figures with the surname Finn include Finn MacCumhail, a legendary Irish warrior and hero from the 3rd century AD. His name is closely associated with the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.

Another prominent individual was Henry Finn (1782-1840), an Irish architect who designed several notable buildings in Dublin, including the Royal Hibernian Academy.

In the 19th century, John Finn (1807-1879) was an Irish-born Australian surveyor and explorer who played a significant role in mapping and exploring parts of Western Australia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Finn include Geraldine Finn (1910-1988), an American actress and singer, and James Finn Garner (1808-1863), an American writer and humorist from Tennessee.

The surname Finn has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Fintown in County Donegal and Fintra in County Dublin. These place names likely derived from the surname or vice versa, reflecting the historical presence of people with the name in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finn

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

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

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

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