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

Hannigan, 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 Hannigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hannigan in America

Hannigan is the 7325th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hannigan surname appeared 4,554 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hannigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hannigan 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 Hannigan

The surname Hannigan originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Galway and Mayo, during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'hAnluain," which means "descendant of Anluain." Anluain was a personal name that is thought to have been derived from the Old Irish word "anluan," meaning "wandering" or "migrating."

The earliest recorded instances of the name Hannigan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The Annals mention several individuals with the surname Hannigan, including Domhnall O'hAnluain, who was killed in a battle in 1307.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Hannigan was commonly found in the parish records of various towns and villages in Galway and Mayo. Some notable individuals from this time period include Tadhg Hannigan (1570-1640), a renowned Irish scholar and poet, and Seán Hannigan (1628-1704), a Catholic priest who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs.

As the name spread throughout Ireland and beyond, various spelling variations emerged, such as O'Hannigan, Hanigan, and Henighan. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hannigan spelling can be found in the Registry of Deeds for County Galway, which mentions a Patrick Hannigan who purchased land in 1685.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the Hannigan surname achieved notable accomplishments. These include William Hannigan (1750-1825), an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and Bridget Hannigan (1802-1884), a prominent Irish nationalist and advocate for women's rights.

Other notable individuals throughout history with the Hannigan surname include James Hannigan (1859-1937), an Irish-born American labor leader and politician; Michael Hannigan (1879-1962), an Irish writer and poet; and Margaret Hannigan (1904-1992), a British author and illustrator of children's books.

Throughout its history, the surname Hannigan has been associated with various place names and locations in Ireland, particularly in the western counties of Galway and Mayo. These include the townlands of Hannigan's Cross and Hannigan's Lough, as well as the village of Hannigan's Terrace in County Galway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hannigan

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

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

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

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