2000
#12,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,297
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Flannigan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Flannagáin," meaning "descendant of Flannagán," a personal name meaning "red-complexioned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,569 Americans carry the last name Flannigan. That puts it at #13,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flannigan 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 Flannigan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,419
Census rank
#13,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,240 bearers of the surname Flannigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flannigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flannigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Flannigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Flannigan 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 Flannigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 1,731
- Black or African American14.5% · 325
- Two or more races4.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flannigan
Flannigan 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
#13,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,334
+37 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 728 places
2020
#13,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
-94 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,399 | 2,297 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,127 | 2,334 | 0.79 | +37 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 728 places |
| 2020 | #13,093 | 2,240 | 0.75 | -94 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 34 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 Flannigan 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 | #13,127 | #13,093 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,334 | 2,240 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.75 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flannigan bearers went from 2,334 to 2,240 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,127 to #13,093.
FAQ
Flannigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flannigan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,569 living Americans carry the surname Flannigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,419 residents.
How common is Flannigan?
Flannigan ranks #13,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,240 people with the surname Flannigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,569), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Flannigan.
Has Flannigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flannigan went from 2,334 recorded bearers to 2,240. That is a decrease of 94 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,127 to #13,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Flannigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flannigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Flannigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (1,731 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flannigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Flannigan (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 Flannigan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Flannagáin," meaning "descendant of Flannagán," a personal name meaning "red-complexioned." 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 Flannigan (0.75 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 share the surname Flannigan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.