2000
#2,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.19
Uncommon Last name
Grogan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Grógáin, meaning "descendant of Grógán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,340 Americans carry the last name Grogan. That puts it at #3,274 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grogan 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 Grogan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,776
Census rank
#3,274
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,761 bearers of the surname Grogan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3274th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grogan
The surname GROGAN has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Irish Gaelic word "gróg," which means "a hardy little fellow" or "a stout man." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname to describe someone with a sturdy or robust physique.
The name is thought to have originated in County Cork, where it was particularly prevalent in the baronies of Kinalmeaky and Kerrycurrihy. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various Irish annals and medieval manuscripts, such as the Annals of Inisfallen, which date back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name GROGAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, from the year 1199, where a man named Adam Grogan is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already spread beyond Ireland by the late 12th century, likely due to the migration of Irish families to England and other parts of the British Isles.
In the 16th century, the name GROGAN was prominently associated with the Gaelic noble family of the same name, who were Lords of Inchiquin in County Clare, Ireland. One notable figure from this family was Sir Donogh Grogan, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars.
Another famous bearer of the name GROGAN was John Grogan, an Irish-American painter and illustrator born in 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for his illustrations in books and magazines, and his works can be found in the collections of various art museums across the United States.
Other notable individuals with the surname GROGAN include:
1. John Grogan (1831-1912), an Irish-American entrepreneur and philanthropist from Boston.
2. Ewart Grogan (1876-1957), a British explorer and colonial administrator in East Africa.
3. Enda Grogan (born 1932), an Irish historian and academic.
4. Dermot Grogan (1916-2002), an Irish diplomat and civil servant.
5. Kathleen Grogan (1926-2015), an American author and journalist.
The name GROGAN has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Grogan's Hill and Grogan's Bridge in County Cork, further emphasizing its historical significance and deep roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grogan
Among Census respondents with the surname Grogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grogan 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 Grogan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 9,059
- Black or African American7.2% · 777
- Two or more races3.9% · 425
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 353
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grogan
Grogan 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
#3,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,400
+98 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#3,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,761
-639 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 3.60
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,923 | 11,302 | 4.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,165 | 11,400 | 3.86 | +98 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #3,274 | 10,761 | 3.60 | -639 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 109 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 Grogan 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 | #3,165 | #3,274 | -3.4% |
| Count | 11,400 | 10,761 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.60 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grogan bearers went from 11,400 to 10,761 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,165 to #3,274.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grogan
FAQ
Grogan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grogan?
Name Census estimates that about 12,340 living Americans carry the surname Grogan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,776 residents.
How common is Grogan?
Grogan ranks #3,274 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,761 people with the surname Grogan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Grogan.
Has Grogan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grogan went from 11,400 recorded bearers to 10,761. That is a decrease of 639 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,165 to #3,274.
What does the Census say about the background of Grogan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Grogan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (9,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grogan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (7.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Grogan (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 Grogan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Grógáin, meaning "descendant of Grógán," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Grogan (3.60 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 share the surname Grogan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.