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

Horgan, 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 Horgan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Horgan in America

Horgan is the 7875th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Horgan surname appeared 4,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Horgan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Horgan 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 Horgan

The surname Horgan is of Irish origin, originating in County Cork, Ireland, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "O'hUrgain," which means "descendant of Urgan." Urgan was a personal name that may have referred to someone who lived near a marsh or a peat bog.

The name Horgan first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, when it was recorded as "O'hUrgain" in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The surname is believed to have evolved from this original spelling over time, with various spellings such as "O'Hurgan," "O'Hurgen," and "O'Horgan" appearing in different historical documents.

In the 16th century, the Horgan family held lands in the baronies of Ibane and Barryroe in County Cork. Some notable members of the Horgan family from this time period include Donough Horgan, a landowner and chieftain who lived in the late 16th century, and Dermot Horgan, a Catholic priest and scholar who was active in the early 17th century.

The earliest recorded example of the surname spelled as "Horgan" dates back to the 17th century, when it appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the reign of the Tudor monarchs in England and Ireland.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Horgan. One of the most famous was Thomas Horgan (1770-1816), an Irish-born lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania.

Another notable Horgan was James Horgan (1845-1925), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Cloyne and Ross in County Cork from 1904 to 1925. He was known for his efforts in promoting education and social welfare initiatives in his diocese.

In the 20th century, John Horgan (1911-1995) was a prominent Irish politician who served as the Minister for Lands in the Irish government from 1957 to 1973. He was also a member of the Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann) for several decades.

Joseph Horgan (1917-2003) was an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about World War II and the Vietnam War. He is best known for his book "The Irish Tinkers: The Urbanization of an Itinerant People," which explored the lives of Irish Travellers.

Finally, John Horgan (born 1964) is a contemporary American science journalist and author who has written for publications such as Scientific American and The New York Times. He is known for his books exploring topics in science and religion, including "The End of Science" and "The Undiscovered Mind."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Horgan

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

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

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

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