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

Heffernan, 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 Heffernan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heffernan in America

Heffernan is the 5043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heffernan surname appeared 6,961 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 Heffernan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heffernan 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 Heffernan

The surname Heffernan originated in Ireland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Odhran," meaning "pale" or "swarthy," combined with the diminutive suffix "an," forming "Odhran-an." Over time, this evolved into the anglicized form "Heffernan."

The name is predominantly found in the counties of Cork, Kerry, and Limerick in the southwestern province of Munster. It is believed that the Heffernan clan descended from the Dál gCais sept, a branch of the powerful Dalcassian dynasty that ruled much of Munster during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which references a "Heffernan" in the year 1201. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork from 1275, where a "William Offernon" is listed as a landholder.

In the 14th century, the Heffernan family held lands near Clonmel in County Tipperary, and a branch of the clan settled in the area of Crotta, near Adare in County Limerick. The Crotta Heffernans were a prominent family, and one member, Donogh Heffernan, served as the Bishop of Emly from 1463 to 1487.

Notable individuals with the surname Heffernan throughout history include Edmond Heffernan (1785-1857), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for County Cork. Sir John Heffernan (1882-1944) was a distinguished Australian military officer who fought in World War I and later became the Governor of Queensland.

In the United States, James Heffernan (1888-1967) was a prominent Catholic priest and educator who founded the Twin Circle Publishing Company and served as the president of St. Bonaventure University in New York. William Wilberforce Heffernan (1859-1923) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.

Another notable figure was William Heffernan (1879-1967), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Heffernan Press, a successful printing company in New York City. He was also a prominent supporter of educational and charitable causes in Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heffernan

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

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

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

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