2000
#1,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.96
Uncommon Last name
Flanagan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Flannagáin," meaning "descendant of Flannagán," a personal name meaning "red-valiant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,953 Americans carry the last name Flanagan. That puts it at #1,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flanagan 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 Flanagan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,095
Census rank
#1,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,609 bearers of the surname Flanagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flanagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flanagan
The surname Flanagan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Flannagáin, meaning "descendant of Flannagán". Flannagán is a diminutive form of the personal name Flann, which means "red" or "ruddy".
The Flanagans were initially concentrated in the province of Connacht, particularly in counties Galway and Roscommon. The name can be traced back to the 11th century and is associated with the Síl Muireadaigh, a powerful family that ruled over parts of Connacht.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1256, the annals reference a figure named Donnchadh Ó Flannagáin, a member of the Síl Muireadaigh dynasty.
In the 14th century, the Flanagans were among the leading families in the territory of Uí Maine, located in modern-day County Galway. The name appears in various records from this period, including the Annals of Loch Cé and the Register of the Priory of Athenry.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Malachy Flanagan (c. 1510 - c. 1590), a Catholic priest and historian from County Galway. He is best known for his work, Desiderius Hibernicus, which documented the lives of Irish saints.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Flanagan (c. 1579 - 1644), an Irish soldier who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders during the Eighty Years' War. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and was knighted for his military service.
In the 17th century, the Flanagans were among the families transplanted to the province of Connacht during the Cromwellian Settlement. Many of them settled in County Roscommon, where the name remains prevalent today.
One of the most famous Flanagans was Michael Joseph Flanagan (1824 - 1886), an Irish Catholic priest and educator. He founded the Flanagan Industrial School in Omaha, Nebraska, which provided vocational training and education for Native American children.
Another notable individual was Reverend William Flanagan (1836 - 1925), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska. He played a crucial role in establishing the Catholic Church in Alaska during the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flanagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Flanagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Flanagan 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 Flanagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 25,546
- Black or African American6.3% · 1,869
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 988
- Two or more races3.0% · 880
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 215
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flanagan
Flanagan 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
#1,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,887
+1,324 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 10.47
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#1,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,609
-1,278 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 9.91
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,079 | 29,563 | 10.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,134 | 30,887 | 10.47 | +1,324 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #1,166 | 29,609 | 9.91 | -1,278 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 32 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 Flanagan 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 | #1,134 | #1,166 | -2.8% |
| Count | 30,887 | 29,609 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 10.47 | 9.91 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flanagan bearers went from 30,887 to 29,609 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,134 to #1,166.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Flanagan
FAQ
Flanagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flanagan?
Name Census estimates that about 33,953 living Americans carry the surname Flanagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,095 residents.
How common is Flanagan?
Flanagan ranks #1,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,609 people with the surname Flanagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,953), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Flanagan.
Has Flanagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flanagan went from 30,887 recorded bearers to 29,609. That is a decrease of 1,278 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,134 to #1,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Flanagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flanagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Flanagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (25,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flanagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (6.3%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Flanagan (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 Flanagan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Flannagáin," meaning "descendant of Flannagán," a personal name meaning "red-valiant." 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 Flanagan (9.91 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 Americans have the surname Flanagan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.