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

Lanigan, 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 Lanigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lanigan in America

Lanigan is the 12025th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lanigan surname appeared 2,596 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 Lanigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lanigan 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 Lanigan

The surname Lanigan originates from Ireland and dates back to the 7th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "O'Lonigan," which means "descendant of Loingseachain." The name is believed to have originated in County Tipperary, Ireland.

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 the annals, a man named Loingseachain is mentioned as a chieftain in Tipperary in the 7th century.

The surname Lanigan has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Laidgin O'Lonigan, a 13th-century Irish cleric and scholar who served as the Archbishop of Cashel from 1237 to 1253.

Another prominent figure with the surname Lanigan was John Lanigan (1758-1828), an Irish priest and historian best known for his work "An Ecclesiastical History of Ireland." He was born in Cashel, Tipperary, and his work is considered a significant contribution to the study of Irish history.

In the 19th century, Michael Lanigan (1826-1900) was an Irish-born Australian politician and businessman. He served as the Mayor of Sydney from 1888 to 1889 and played a significant role in the development of the city's infrastructure.

Frances Lanigan (1844-1921) was an American teacher and author who wrote several books on Irish history and literature. She was born in New York City and is known for her efforts in promoting Irish culture and education.

More recently, John Lanigan (1935-2013) was an Irish actor and playwright. He was born in Dublin and had a successful career in theater, appearing in productions both in Ireland and abroad.

The surname Lanigan has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Lanigan's Ball and Lanigan's Bridge, both located in County Tipperary. These place names likely originated from individuals or families with the surname Lanigan who lived or owned property in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lanigan

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

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

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

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