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

Kiernan, 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 Kiernan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kiernan in America

Kiernan is the 5802nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kiernan surname appeared 5,966 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Kiernan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kiernan 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 Kiernan

The surname Kiernan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Ciarán, meaning "little dark one" or "little tanned one." It is believed to have originated in the 5th century AD in the ancient Irish kingdom of Meath.

The name Ciarán was borne by several early Irish saints, the most famous being St. Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (516-549 AD), who founded the influential monastery of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly. The Kiernan surname is thought to have emerged from this monastic settlement, as families often adopted the names of revered saints.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kiernan surname appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Kiernan O'Melaghlin" in the year 1236. This suggests that the surname had become established by the 13th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the Kiernans were a prominent family in the Irish midlands, particularly in Counties Westmeath and Longford. The name is also associated with the ancient territory of Fir Chennada, located in what is now County Leitrim.

Notable historical figures with the Kiernan surname include Geoffrey Kiernan (1595-1675), an Irish Catholic priest and author who was a prominent figure in the Confederate War in Ireland. Another was Matthias Kiernan (1804-1875), an Irish-born American Catholic priest who founded several churches and schools in the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia.

In the 19th century, James Kiernan (1819-1890) was a successful Irish-American businessman and philanthropist in New York City, known for his support of Catholic charities and educational institutions. Mary Kiernan (1889-1982), born in Ireland, was a prominent labor activist and organizer who worked tirelessly for the rights of garment workers in New York City.

The Kiernan name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Kiernansgrove in County Leitrim and Kiernans Bridge in County Westmeath, reflecting the historical presence of the family in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kiernan

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

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

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

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