2000
#5,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Kavanaugh
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Caomhánach, derived from the Gaelic "caomh" meaning "gentle, kind, or handsome."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,395 Americans carry the last name Kavanaugh. That puts it at #5,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,597 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kavanaugh 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
6.4K
1 in 53,597
Census rank
#5,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,577 bearers of the surname Kavanaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavanaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kavanaugh
The surname Kavanaugh has its origins in Ireland, originating in the late 12th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Caomhánach, which means "descendant of Caomhán." Caomhán is a personal name derived from the old Irish word "caomh," meaning "gentle" or "kind."
The Kavanaugh surname is predominantly found in County Leitrim, Ireland, where it is believed to have first emerged. The name is also associated with the counties of Sligo and Cavan, indicating that the family may have had strongholds in these areas as well.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a Fergal Ó Caomhánach who was a military leader in the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Kavanaugh family was known to have held lands in the barony of Mohill, County Leitrim. This is evidenced by the inclusion of several Kavanaughs in the Fiants, a collection of official documents from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
A notable figure in the history of the Kavanaugh name was Fergus Kavanaugh, a 17th-century Irish chieftain and rebel who fought against English rule in Ireland. He was born around 1618 and played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
Another prominent individual was Brian Kavanaugh, a Catholic priest and author who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in County Leitrim around 1670 and is known for his writings on Irish history and theology.
In the 19th century, Michael Kavanaugh (1804-1884) was a respected Irish judge and politician who served as a member of the British Parliament for several years.
The name Kavanaugh has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Kavanaghstown in County Leitrim and Kavanagh's Grove in County Carlow.
Overall, the surname Kavanaugh has a rich history deeply rooted in Irish culture and tradition, with its origins dating back to the medieval period and a strong presence in the counties of Leitrim, Sligo, and Cavan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kavanaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavanaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kavanaugh 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 Kavanaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 4,880
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 224
- Black or African American3.9% · 220
- Two or more races3.4% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kavanaugh
Kavanaugh 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
#6,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,611
+86 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#5,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,577
-34 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Up 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,743 | 5,525 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,109 | 5,611 | 1.90 | +86 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #5,947 | 5,577 | 1.87 | -34 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 162 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 Kavanaugh 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 | #6,109 | #5,947 | 2.7% |
| Count | 5,611 | 5,577 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.87 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kavanaugh bearers went from 5,611 to 5,577 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,109 to #5,947.
FAQ
Kavanaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kavanaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 6,395 living Americans carry the surname Kavanaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,597 residents.
How common is Kavanaugh?
Kavanaugh ranks #5,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 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 5,577 people with the surname Kavanaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,395), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 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 Kavanaugh.
Has Kavanaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kavanaugh went from 5,611 recorded bearers to 5,577. That is a decrease of 34 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,109 to #5,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Kavanaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavanaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.9%). 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 Kavanaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (4,880 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kavanaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (4.0%), Black (3.9%). 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 Kavanaugh (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 Kavanaugh mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Caomhánach, derived from the Gaelic "caomh" meaning "gentle, kind, or handsome." 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 Kavanaugh (1.87 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 surname Kavanaugh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.