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

Hanifan, 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 Hanifan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hanifan in America

Hanifan is the 58337th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hanifan surname appeared 348 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hanifan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hanifan 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 Hanifan

The surname Hanifan has its roots in Ireland, originating in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic words "an óighfhear," which translates to "the young man" or "the heir." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to the eldest son or heir of a family.

In its earliest recorded instances, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Haniffan, Hanifin, and Hannifin. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling practices during that time period.

One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which were records of royal decrees and appointments in Ireland. In these records, a John Hanifan is mentioned as receiving a grant of land in County Cork in the late 16th century.

As the centuries passed, the Hanifan family spread across Ireland, with some members eventually migrating to other parts of the world, particularly North America and Australia. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:

1. Michael Hanifan (1835-1907), an Irish-born politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in the late 19th century.
2. Mary Hanifan (1870-1939), an American educator and social worker, best known for her work in promoting community education and coining the term "social capital."
3. John Hanifan (1878-1957), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns in the early 1900s.
4. Patrick Hanifan (1886-1963), an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Limerick senior team and won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1910.
5. Michael Hanifan (1908-1988), an American lawyer and judge who served as a justice on the Oregon Supreme Court from 1967 to 1977.

While the name Hanifan may not be as widespread as some other Irish surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, educators, athletes, and legal professionals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hanifan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!