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

Garrigan, 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 Garrigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garrigan in America

Garrigan is the 19646th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garrigan surname appeared 1,372 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Garrigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garrigan 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 Garrigan

The surname Garrigan has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Gairbhidhein," which translates to "descendant of Gairbhidhein," a personal name derived from the words "garbh" meaning "rough" and "idhean" meaning "green place or plain."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various ancient Irish manuscripts and records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns. These documents mention individuals with the surname Garrigan or its earlier spelling variations, like O'Gairbhidhein or O'Gairbhidhene, hailing from counties like Mayo, Sligo, and Galway in the west of Ireland.

One notable historical figure was Donnchadh O'Gairbhidhein (c. 1580-1650), a renowned Irish poet and scholar from County Mayo. His works, which included religious poetry and bardic praise poems, were highly regarded during his lifetime and have been preserved in various manuscript collections.

Another prominent individual was Ruaidhrí O'Gairbhidhein (c. 1610-1680), a chieftain and landowner from County Sligo. He played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, fighting against the English forces of Oliver Cromwell.

In the 18th century, Séamus Garrigan (1710-1785) was a respected teacher and scribe from County Galway. He was known for his exceptional calligraphy skills and his work in transcribing and preserving ancient Irish manuscripts.

Bridget Garrigan (1776-1845), born in County Mayo, was a notable figure in the early years of Irish immigration to the United States. She settled in New York City and played a pivotal role in establishing one of the earliest Irish Catholic communities in the city.

Lastly, John Garrigan (1855-1919), a native of County Sligo, was a prominent Catholic priest and educator in the United States. He served as the president of St. Joseph's Seminary in New York and was instrumental in the development of Catholic education in the region.

While the surname Garrigan has evolved over time, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Irish name O'Gairbhidhein, reflecting its rich history and connection to the western counties of Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garrigan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!