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

Garrity, 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 Garrity surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garrity in America

Garrity is the 4914th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garrity surname appeared 7,156 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Garrity.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garrity 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 Garrity

The surname Garrity is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Gairbhíth, which means "descendant of Gairbhíth," a personal name that means "rough" or "coarse." The name is believed to have originated in County Westmeath, Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Garrity surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of official documents from the late 16th century. In these records, the name appears as "O'Garvie" and "O'Garvey," which are anglicized versions of the original Irish form.

The Garrity name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 17th century, Sir William Garrity was a prominent landowner and member of the Irish Parliament. He played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was eventually executed for his involvement.

Another notable Garrity was John Garrity, a 19th-century Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1871 to 1875. He was instrumental in the development of the city's infrastructure and public transportation system.

In the literary world, Patrick Garrity (1926-2003) was a renowned Irish poet and playwright. His works, such as "The Autobiography of a Novelist" and "The Flower of Silence," explored themes of identity, loss, and the human condition.

The Garrity surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland. For example, Garritylough, a townland in County Mayo, derives its name from the Irish "Garbhthach Locha," which means "rough lake."

Another notable figure with the Garrity surname was Michael Garrity (1835-1920), an Irish-American labor leader and politician. He played a significant role in the labor movement in the United States and served as the President of the American Federation of Labor from 1882 to 1886.

While the Garrity surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garrity

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

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

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

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