2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garrahy
A Breton surname meaning "coming from Oak Grove" or derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Garrahy. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garrahy 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Garrahy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrahy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garrahy
The surname Garrahy is of Irish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "garbh" meaning "rough" or "coarse," and "achadh" meaning "field" or "plain." The name likely referred to a person who lived in or near a rough or uncultivated field or area of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Irish annals and manuscripts from the Middle Ages. One notable reference is in the Annals of Ulster, which mentions a "Garrahy" as early as the 12th century. The name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Mayo and Sligo in the western part of Ireland, where it is believed to have originated.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Garrahy was Seán Garrahy, who lived in the late 15th century and was a chieftain of the Garrahy clan in County Mayo. Another notable figure was Patrick Garrahy, a Catholic priest who lived in the 17th century and was known for his opposition to the English Protestant rule in Ireland.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various records and documents, such as the Hearth Money Rolls and the Census of Ireland. One individual of note was John Garrahy, born in 1740, who was a landowner and farmer in County Sligo.
The 19th century saw several notable individuals with the Garrahy surname, including Michael Garrahy (1828-1901), a businessman and politician who served as a member of the British Parliament for the constituency of Sligo. Another prominent figure was Patrick Garrahy (1857-1931), a Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools in County Mayo.
Throughout history, the name Garrahy has been associated with various place names and localities in Ireland, such as Garrahyduff, Garrahynaglough, and Garrahyleigh, among others. These place names often incorporated the Garrahy surname, reflecting the connection between the name and specific geographic areas.
It is important to note that while the surname Garrahy has a rich history and can be traced back to medieval Ireland, the information provided here is based on available historical records and may not be exhaustive. Further research and discovery of new sources could potentially uncover additional details about the origin, evolution, and notable individuals associated with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garrahy
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrahy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Garrahy 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 Garrahy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garrahy
Garrahy 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,662 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,354 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 Garrahy 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 | #140,157 | #143,511 | -2.4% |
| Count | 119 | 118 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garrahy bearers went from 119 to 118 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #143,511.
FAQ
Garrahy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garrahy?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Garrahy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Garrahy?
Garrahy ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Garrahy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Garrahy.
Has Garrahy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garrahy went from 119 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Garrahy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrahy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Garrahy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garrahy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Garrahy (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 Garrahy mean?
A Breton surname meaning "coming from Oak Grove" or derived from a place name. 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 Garrahy (0.04 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 Garrahy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.