2000
#9,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,231
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Geraghty
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Oireachtaigh," meaning "descendant of Oireachtach," a personal name meaning "member of the assembly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,862 Americans carry the last name Geraghty. That puts it at #9,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,750 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geraghty 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 Geraghty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,750
Census rank
#9,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,368 bearers of the surname Geraghty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geraghty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geraghty
The surname Geraghty is of Irish Gaelic origin, deriving from the old Irish name 'O Gearaghty' or 'O Gearghaile'. It is believed to have originated in County Mayo in the west of Ireland during the 11th or 12th centuries. The name is an anglicized version of the Gaelic 'O Gearaghty', meaning 'descendant of Gearaghty'.
The root of the name 'Gearaghty' can be traced back to the Irish word 'gearr', meaning 'short' or 'small', and 'aidhe', meaning 'fire' or 'heat'. This suggests that the original bearer of the name may have been a person of small stature or a blacksmith or metalworker by trade. Variations in spelling over the centuries have included Gerraty, Gearaty, Gearety, Gerraghty, and Garrity.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Geraghty can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals refer to a Conor O'Geraghty who was a prominent chieftain in County Mayo in the late 14th century.
Another notable figure in history bearing the name Geraghty was John Geraghty, an Irish soldier and politician who lived from 1670 to 1737. He served in the Irish Brigades of the French and Spanish armies and later became a member of the Irish House of Commons.
In the 18th century, James Geraghty (1738-1819) was a prominent Catholic activist and writer who campaigned for Catholic emancipation in Ireland. His works included 'A Vindication of the Loyal Catholics of Ireland' published in 1786.
During the 19th century, Patrick Geraghty (1801-1878) was a notable Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the shipping and railroad industries in New York City. He donated large sums of money to various Catholic charities and institutions.
Another famous bearer of the Geraghty surname was John Geraghty (1858-1942), an Irish-American lawyer and judge who served as a justice on the New York Supreme Court from 1907 to 1933.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geraghty
Among Census respondents with the surname Geraghty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Geraghty 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 Geraghty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,107
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 133
- Two or more races2.3% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geraghty
Geraghty 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
#9,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,465
+234 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#9,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,368
-97 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,272 | 3,231 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,384 | 3,465 | 1.17 | +234 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #9,273 | 3,368 | 1.13 | -97 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 111 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 Geraghty 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 | #9,384 | #9,273 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,465 | 3,368 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.13 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geraghty bearers went from 3,465 to 3,368 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,384 to #9,273.
FAQ
Geraghty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geraghty?
Name Census estimates that about 3,862 living Americans carry the surname Geraghty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,750 residents.
How common is Geraghty?
Geraghty ranks #9,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,368 people with the surname Geraghty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Geraghty.
Has Geraghty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geraghty went from 3,465 recorded bearers to 3,368. That is a decrease of 97 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,384 to #9,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Geraghty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geraghty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Geraghty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geraghty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Geraghty (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 Geraghty mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Oireachtaigh," meaning "descendant of Oireachtach," a personal name meaning "member of the assembly." 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 Geraghty (1.13 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 last name Geraghty?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Geraghty on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.