2000
#4,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Flanigan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Flannagáin," meaning "descendant of Flannagán," a personal name meaning "red-faced."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,253 Americans carry the last name Flanigan. That puts it at #4,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flanigan 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 Flanigan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,531
Census rank
#4,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,197 bearers of the surname Flanigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flanigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flanigan
The surname Flanigan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name 'O'Flannagain', meaning 'descendant of Flannagan'. The name is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century in County Tipperary, Ireland.
The name 'Flannagan' is thought to be derived from the Irish word 'flann', meaning 'red' or 'ruddy', and the diminutive suffix '-agan', indicating a small or young person. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Flanigan appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a 'Flannagan Mac Brolchain' in the year 1086. This indicates that the name was in use in Ireland during the late 11th century.
In the 16th century, the name Flanigan is found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of royal letters and decrees relating to Ireland. A 'Donough Flanigan' is mentioned in a document from 1584, indicating the presence of the name in County Tipperary at that time.
During the 17th century, the name Flanigan appears in various Irish records, including the Petty Census of 1659, which lists several Flanigan families in County Tipperary. This suggests that the name was well-established in that region by that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Flanigan throughout history include:
1. Michael Flanigan (1832-1904), an Irish-American Civil War veteran and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
2. Patrick Flanigan (1834-1899), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who served as the second president of St. John's University in New York.
3. John Flanigan (1806-1885), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
4. Thomas Flanigan (1841-1915), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who served as the first president of St. Viator College in Illinois.
5. William Flanigan (1804-1888), an Irish-born American soldier and politician who served as a member of the Illinois State Senate.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flanigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Flanigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Flanigan 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 Flanigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 6,125
- Black or African American7.9% · 571
- Two or more races3.4% · 246
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flanigan
Flanigan 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
#4,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,648
+473 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#4,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,197
-451 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,540 | 7,175 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,640 | 7,648 | 2.59 | +473 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #4,762 | 7,197 | 2.41 | -451 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 122 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 Flanigan 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 | #4,640 | #4,762 | -2.6% |
| Count | 7,648 | 7,197 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.41 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flanigan bearers went from 7,648 to 7,197 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,640 to #4,762.
FAQ
Flanigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flanigan?
Name Census estimates that about 8,253 living Americans carry the surname Flanigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,531 residents.
How common is Flanigan?
Flanigan ranks #4,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,197 people with the surname Flanigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Flanigan.
Has Flanigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flanigan went from 7,648 recorded bearers to 7,197. That is a decrease of 451 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,640 to #4,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Flanigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flanigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Flanigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (6,125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flanigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Flanigan (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 Flanigan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Flannagáin," meaning "descendant of Flannagán," a personal name meaning "red-faced." 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 Flanigan (2.41 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 Americans have the surname Flanigan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.