2000
#6,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Kavanagh
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Caomhánach," meaning a descendant of Caomhán, a personal name meaning "a gentle person."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,105 Americans carry the last name Kavanagh. That puts it at #6,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kavanagh 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 Kavanagh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,143
Census rank
#6,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,324 bearers of the surname Kavanagh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavanagh, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kavanagh
The surname Kavanagh is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Cavanaigh, meaning "descendant of Cavanagh." The name first emerged in County Leinster in the 12th century.
Kavanagh is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Cavanaigh, which means "descendant of Cavanagh." The name Cavanagh itself is derived from the Gaelic personal name Caomhánach, meaning "gentle" or "kind."
The Kavanaghs were an influential family in County Leinster, Ireland, particularly in the medieval period. They held significant power and land in the region, and their name appears frequently in historical records and manuscripts from that time.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Kavanagh is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention Domhnall Caomhánach, King of Leinster, who died in 1175.
Another notable figure with the surname Kavanagh was Art Kavanagh, who was elected as the 16th Chief of the Name in 1554. He played a significant role in the Leinster Rebellion against the English Crown in the late 16th century.
During the 17th century, several members of the Kavanagh family were prominent in the Irish Confederate Wars, including Morgan Kavanagh, who served as a colonel in the Confederate Catholic forces.
In the 18th century, Brian Kavanagh was a renowned Irish poet and songwriter, known for his compositions in the Irish language. He lived from 1690 to 1765.
In more recent history, Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967) was a celebrated Irish poet and novelist, widely regarded as one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century in Ireland.
The surname Kavanagh is still relatively common in Ireland, particularly in the Leinster region, reflecting the family's historical roots and influence in that area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kavanagh
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavanagh, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kavanagh 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 Kavanagh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 4,800
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 179
- Two or more races3.2% · 173
- Black or African American2.2% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kavanagh
Kavanagh 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
#6,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,301
+332 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#6,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,324
+23 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,312 | 4,969 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,414 | 5,301 | 1.80 | +332 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #6,166 | 5,324 | 1.78 | +23 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 248 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 Kavanagh 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 | #6,414 | #6,166 | 3.9% |
| Count | 5,301 | 5,324 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.78 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kavanagh bearers went from 5,301 to 5,324 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,414 to #6,166.
FAQ
Kavanagh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kavanagh?
Name Census estimates that about 6,105 living Americans carry the surname Kavanagh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,143 residents.
How common is Kavanagh?
Kavanagh ranks #6,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,324 people with the surname Kavanagh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Kavanagh.
Has Kavanagh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kavanagh went from 5,301 recorded bearers to 5,324. That is an increase of 23 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,414 to #6,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Kavanagh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavanagh, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) 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 Kavanagh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (4,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kavanagh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), 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 Kavanagh (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 Kavanagh mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Caomhánach," meaning a descendant of Caomhán, a personal name meaning "a gentle person." 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 Kavanagh (1.78 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 Kavanagh?
Find out how common the surname Kavanagh is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.