2000
#4,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,532
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.42
Rare Last name
Heffernan
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hIfearnáin, meaning "descendant of Ifearnán," a byname meaning "little demon" or "hell-bearer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,525 Americans carry the last name Heffernan. That puts it at #5,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heffernan 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 Heffernan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,549
Census rank
#5,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,562 bearers of the surname Heffernan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heffernan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heffernan
Among Census respondents with the surname Heffernan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Heffernan 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 Heffernan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 6,005
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 232
- Two or more races3.2% · 210
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 89
- Black or African American0.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heffernan
Heffernan 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
#5,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,961
+429 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#5,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,562
-399 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,940 | 6,532 | 2.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,043 | 6,961 | 2.36 | +429 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #5,151 | 6,562 | 2.20 | -399 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 108 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 Heffernan 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 | #5,043 | #5,151 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,961 | 6,562 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.20 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heffernan bearers went from 6,961 to 6,562 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,043 to #5,151.
FAQ
Heffernan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heffernan?
Name Census estimates that about 7,525 living Americans carry the surname Heffernan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,549 residents.
How common is Heffernan?
Heffernan ranks #5,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,562 people with the surname Heffernan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Heffernan.
Has Heffernan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heffernan went from 6,961 recorded bearers to 6,562. That is a decrease of 399 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,043 to #5,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Heffernan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heffernan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Heffernan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (6,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heffernan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Heffernan (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 Heffernan mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hIfearnáin, meaning "descendant of Ifearnán," a byname meaning "little demon" or "hell-bearer." 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 Heffernan (2.20 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 Heffernan?
Find out how many people have the last name Heffernan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.