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

Houlihan, 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 Houlihan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Houlihan in America

Houlihan is the 8365th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Houlihan surname appeared 3,958 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 Houlihan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Houlihan 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 Houlihan

The surname Houlihan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó hUallacháin, meaning "descendant of Uallachán." Uallachán is a diminutive form of the word "uallach," which means "proud" or "arrogant." The name likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Ireland.

The earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1371, it mentions a certain "Maolmhuire Ó hUallacháin" as a notable figure in County Mayo. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the western parts of Ireland by the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Anglicized spelling "Houlihan" began to appear in English-language records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor sovereigns. These were letters patent issued by the English monarchy, granting lands and privileges in Ireland. The name is also found in various rent rolls and legal documents from this period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Terence Houlihan, a prominent landowner in County Limerick who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another notable figure was Captain Edmond Houlihan, an officer in the Irish Brigades of the French Army, who served in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, several Houlihans achieved prominence in various fields. Michael Houlihan (1800-1857) was a Catholic priest and writer from County Cork, known for his works on Irish history and literature. James Houlihan (1834-1909) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from New York City, who made significant contributions to educational and cultural institutions.

The name has also been associated with certain places in Ireland, such as Houlihan's Folly, a historic site in County Kerry, and Houlihan's Bridge, a landmark in County Tipperary. These place names likely derived from individuals or families with the surname Houlihan who lived in or owned land in those areas.

Throughout its history, the surname Houlihan has been subject to various spelling variations, including Houlahan, Houlehan, O'Houlihan, and O'Houlohan, among others. However, the modern standardized spelling of "Houlihan" has been widely adopted in recent centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Houlihan

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

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

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

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