2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Geaghan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name "Geadhaghán", meaning "wild goose".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Geaghan. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geaghan 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Geaghan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geaghan, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geaghan
The surname Geaghan is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic words 'gé' meaning 'wild' and 'Eachan' which is a diminutive form of the name Eachann. It is believed to have first emerged in County Mayo, Ireland during the late 16th or early 17th century. The name is thought to be derived from the phrase 'wild horse' or 'wild stallion'.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Geaghan can be found in the Pipe Rolls of County Mayo from the year 1613, which lists a Teige Geaghan as a landowner in the area. Another early reference is in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, where a Donogh Geaghan is listed as a householder in the parish of Crossmolina, County Mayo.
In the 18th century, the name Geaghan can be found in various Irish records, such as the Elphin Diocesan Registry, which mentions a Patrick Geaghan who was a farmer in County Roscommon in 1724. The name also appears in the Tithe Applotment Books of County Mayo from the 1820s, listing several Geaghan families as landowners and tenants in various parishes.
Some notable individuals with the surname Geaghan include:
1. John Geaghan (1828-1905), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Savannah, Georgia from 1891 to 1893.
2. Thomas Geaghan (1870-1942), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska from 1917 to 1942.
3. Michael Geaghan (1872-1947), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1908 to 1910.
4. Joseph Geaghan (1877-1953), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Baton Rouge, Louisiana from 1935 to 1947.
5. Brendan Geaghan (born 1959), an Irish hurler who played for the Offaly senior hurling team in the 1980s and won an All-Ireland championship in 1981.
While the surname Geaghan is predominantly found in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo, it has also been carried by Irish emigrants to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geaghan
Among Census respondents with the surname Geaghan, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Geaghan 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 Geaghan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geaghan
Geaghan 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+13 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,591 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-18 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,527 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 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 3,591 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 15,527 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 Geaghan 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 | #139,228 | #154,755 | -11.2% |
| Count | 120 | 102 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geaghan bearers went from 120 to 102 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 15,527 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #154,755.
FAQ
Geaghan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geaghan?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Geaghan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Geaghan?
Geaghan ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Geaghan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Geaghan.
Has Geaghan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geaghan went from 120 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Geaghan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geaghan, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Geaghan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geaghan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Geaghan (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 Geaghan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name "Geadhaghán", meaning "wild goose". 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 Geaghan (0.03 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 Geaghan?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Geaghan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.