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

Killoran, 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 Killoran surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Killoran in America

Killoran is the 25751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Killoran surname appeared 957 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Killoran.

We can also compare 2010 data for Killoran 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 Killoran

The surname Killoran is believed to have originated in Ireland, and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "cill" meaning church, and "Odhrain" which is a personal name meaning "pale green." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a church associated with St. Odhran.

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. In 1586, a "Teige Killoran" is mentioned as participating in a battle against English forces in County Mayo.

The Killorans were historically concentrated in the western counties of Connacht, particularly Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon. Variations in spelling included Killoren, Kiloren, and Killouran. Some early bearers of the name were tenants of Anglo-Norman settlers in the 13th century.

Notable Killorans throughout history include Thaddeus Killoran (1697-1773), an Irish Catholic priest who played a role in the preservation of the Irish language and culture during the Penal Laws. Patrick Killoran (1832-1908) was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party.

Margaret Mary Killoran (1888-1984) was a Irish-born Australian nun who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the World congregation. John Killoran (1914-2000) was a Canadian lawyer and judge who served on the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.

Edmond Killoran (1780-1858) was an Irish soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in Canada, where he became a farmer and local magistrate. His descendants continued to use the spelling Killoran.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Killoran

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

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

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

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