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

Flannigan, 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 Flannigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Flannigan in America

Flannigan is the 13127th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Flannigan surname appeared 2,334 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 Flannigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Flannigan 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 Flannigan

The surname FLANNIGAN is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Flannagáin" which means "descendant of Flannagán". The name Flannagán itself is a diminutive of the Irish word "flann" meaning red or ruddy complexion.

The name FLANNIGAN can be traced back to the 12th century in County Clare, Ireland. It is believed to have originated in the region around Killaloe, where the Flannigan clan held a prominent position among the ruling families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a certain "Flannacan mac Tuathal" is mentioned as a leader of the Dál gCais tribe in the year 1014.

In the 16th century, the Flannigans were among the Irish families who resisted the Tudor conquest of Ireland. A notable figure was Dermot Flannigan, who fought alongside the Earl of Desmond against the English forces in the Second Desmond Rebellion (1579-1583).

During the 17th century, many Flannigans were displaced from their ancestral lands due to the Plantation of Ulster and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Some fled to continental Europe, while others settled in various parts of the island, leading to the widespread dispersal of the name.

In the 18th century, Michael Flannigan (1700-1778) was a prominent Catholic priest and educator who established a renowned school in County Louth, Ireland, which educated many Irish Catholic leaders during the Penal Law era.

The 19th century saw the emigration of many Flannigans to North America and other parts of the world. One notable figure was James Flannigan (1810-1892), an Irish-American engineer who contributed to the construction of several major railroads in the United States.

Another notable bearer of the name was Patrick Flannigan (1865-1948), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly and advocated for workers' rights.

In the 20th century, James Aloysius Flannigan (1898-1976) was a Canadian Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Winnipeg and played a significant role in the development of Catholic education in Manitoba.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Flannigan

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

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

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

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