2000
#3,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,740
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.98
Uncommon Last name
Finnegan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fionnagáin," meaning "descendant of Fionnagán," a personal name meaning "fair-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,674 Americans carry the last name Finnegan. That puts it at #3,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finnegan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Finnegan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,360
Census rank
#3,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,180 bearers of the surname Finnegan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnegan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finnegan
The surname Finnegan is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name Fionnagán, which means "fair-born" or "white offspring." It is believed to have originated in County Laois, Ireland, during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Finnegan Mac Gilla Pátraic in the year 1164. This suggests that the name was well-established in Ireland by the 12th century.
The name Finnegan has also been linked to several place names in Ireland, such as Finnegan's Well in County Laois and Finnegan's Bridge in County Kildare. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Finnegan who lived or owned property in those areas.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named John Finnegan (1640-1711) was a prominent Irish Catholic leader and activist who fought for the rights of Catholics during the period of the Penal Laws in Ireland.
Another notable individual with the surname Finnegan was Robert Finnegan (1840-1913), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois from 1897 to 1901.
In literature, the surname Finnegan is featured in James Joyce's novel "Finnegans Wake," which is a play on the name and explores the themes of dreams, language, and the cyclical nature of human existence.
Other notable individuals with the surname Finnegan include:
1. John Finnegan (1784-1854), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the first Catholic mayor of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
2. Thomas Finnegan (1925-1976), an American labor leader and president of the International Union of Operating Engineers from 1963 to 1976.
3. Mary Finnegan (1930-2017), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and television shows.
4. John Finnegan (1926-2009), an Irish writer and broadcaster who served as the head of television drama for RTÉ, the national public service media of Ireland.
5. William Finnegan (born 1952), an American writer and journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 2016 for his memoir "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finnegan
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnegan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Finnegan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Finnegan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 9,512
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 328
- Two or more races2.2% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 69
- Black or African American0.4% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finnegan
Finnegan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,695
+955 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Up 26 places
2020
#3,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,180
-1,515 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 360 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,094 | 10,740 | 3.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,068 | 11,695 | 3.96 | +955 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 26 places |
| 2020 | #3,428 | 10,180 | 3.41 | -1,515 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 360 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Finnegan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,068 | #3,428 | -11.7% |
| Count | 11,695 | 10,180 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.96 | 3.41 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finnegan bearers went from 11,695 to 10,180 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 360 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,068 to #3,428.
FAQ
Finnegan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finnegan?
Name Census estimates that about 11,674 living Americans carry the surname Finnegan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,360 residents.
How common is Finnegan?
Finnegan ranks #3,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,180 people with the surname Finnegan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Finnegan.
Has Finnegan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finnegan went from 11,695 recorded bearers to 10,180. That is a decrease of 1,515 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,068 to #3,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Finnegan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnegan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Finnegan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (9,512 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finnegan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Finnegan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Finnegan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fionnagáin," meaning "descendant of Fionnagán," a personal name meaning "fair-haired." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Finnegan (3.41 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Finnegan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.