2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Henahan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó hAnnaghain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Henahan. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henahan 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.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Henahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henahan
The surname "HENAHAN" is of Irish origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Gaelic word "Ó hÉanacháin," which translates to "descendant of Éanachán." This name was derived from the Irish word "éan," meaning "bird."
The earliest known records of the surname can be found in County Galway, Ireland, where it was primarily concentrated. The name is thought to have been first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a prominent historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Henahan family played a significant role in the history of County Galway. One notable figure was Patrick Henahan, a landowner and prominent member of the local community in the late 17th century.
As the Henahan family spread throughout Ireland, variations in spelling emerged, such as Henaghan, Henaghen, and Henaghane. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the 1659 Census of Ireland, which lists several Henahan families in County Galway. Another notable mention is in the Petty's Census of 1659, which recorded the name Henaghan in County Clare.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Henahan have made notable contributions in various fields. For instance, Michael Henahan (1865-1933) was an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party. John Henahan (1870-1936) was a prominent Irish Catholic priest and educator.
Other notable individuals include:
1. Patrick Henahan (born c. 1650), a landowner in County Galway in the late 17th century.
2. Michael Henahan (1798-1876), an Irish farmer and local community leader in County Galway.
3. John Henahan (1870-1936), an Irish Catholic priest and educator.
4. Bridget Henahan (1849-1923), an Irish-American philanthropist and community leader in New York City.
5. Thomas Henahan (1875-1947), an Irish-American labor leader and trade unionist in Chicago.
While the surname Henahan may have evolved over time and spread to different regions, its roots can be traced back to the Irish county of Galway, where it originated as a Gaelic patronymic name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Henahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Henahan 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 Henahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henahan
Henahan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 11,047 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 Henahan 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 | #159,712 | #148,665 | 6.9% |
| Count | 101 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henahan bearers went from 101 to 111 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 11,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Henahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henahan?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Henahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Henahan?
Henahan ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Henahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Henahan.
Has Henahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henahan went from 101 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 10 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Henahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Henahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Henahan (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 Henahan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó hAnnaghain. 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 Henahan (0.04 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 are called Henahan?
See how many people have the surname Henahan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.