2000
#9,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Gaughan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gáibhtheacháin," meaning "descendant of a fierce warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,736 Americans carry the last name Gaughan. That puts it at #9,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaughan 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 Gaughan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,744
Census rank
#9,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,258 bearers of the surname Gaughan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaughan
The surname Gaughan is of Irish origin, and it is believed to have originated in County Westmeath, Ireland, in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic personal name "Geachan," which means "the little bright one" or "the shining one."
The earliest recorded instance of the name Gaughan dates back to the 16th century, when it was spelled as "Geaughane" or "Geaghan." These early spellings reflect the Gaelic pronunciation of the name. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the spelling evolved to its modern form, "Gaughan."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Gaughan can be found in the Petty's Census of Ireland, conducted in 1659. This census recorded several Gaughan families living in County Westmeath. The name was also mentioned in the Irish Chancery Rolls of the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Gaughan family was well-established in County Westmeath, particularly in the baronies of Rathconrath and Corkaree. Some notable Gaughans from this period include John Gaughan (1700-1785), a landowner and merchant in Mullingar, and Patrick Gaughan (1725-1798), a prominent Catholic activist who fought for the rights of Irish Catholics during the Penal Laws.
As the Gaughan family spread across Ireland, the name also appeared in various place names, such as Gaughanstown in County Westmeath and Gaughansbeg in County Laois. These place names reflect the influence and presence of the Gaughan family in different parts of Ireland.
In the 19th century, several Gaughans achieved notable positions and contributed to various fields. For example, James Gaughan (1815-1891) was a prominent Catholic priest and educator who served as the President of St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. John Gaughan (1820-1895) was an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1873 to 1875.
Other notable Gaughans include Michael Gaughan (1848-1913), an Irish nationalist and Member of Parliament for County Leitrim, and Edward Gaughan (1856-1935), an Irish-American judge who served on the New York Supreme Court.
Throughout its history, the surname Gaughan has maintained a strong connection to its Irish roots, and it continues to be a part of the rich cultural heritage of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaughan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaughan 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 Gaughan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 3,050
- Two or more races2.6% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 68
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaughan
Gaughan 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
#9,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,423
+102 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 446 places
2020
#9,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,258
-165 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,050 | 3,321 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,496 | 3,423 | 1.16 | +102 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 446 places |
| 2020 | #9,543 | 3,258 | 1.09 | -165 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 47 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 Gaughan 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 | #9,496 | #9,543 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,423 | 3,258 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.09 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaughan bearers went from 3,423 to 3,258 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,496 to #9,543.
FAQ
Gaughan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaughan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,736 living Americans carry the surname Gaughan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,744 residents.
How common is Gaughan?
Gaughan ranks #9,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,258 people with the surname Gaughan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,736), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Gaughan.
Has Gaughan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaughan went from 3,423 recorded bearers to 3,258. That is a decrease of 165 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,496 to #9,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaughan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Gaughan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaughan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Gaughan (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 Gaughan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gáibhtheacháin," meaning "descendant of a fierce warrior." 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 Gaughan (1.09 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 are called Gaughan?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Gaughan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.