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

Lenihan, 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 Lenihan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lenihan in America

Lenihan is the 14119th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lenihan surname appeared 2,128 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 Lenihan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lenihan 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 Lenihan

The surname Lenihan has its origins in Ireland and is believed to have first emerged in the 12th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name O'Lonáin, which is derived from the word "lonan," meaning "blackbird." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with a dark complexion or dark hair.

The Lenihan name is primarily associated with County Cork in the southern part of Ireland, particularly in the region around the town of Macroom. However, it also has historical roots in other parts of Munster, including County Kerry and County Limerick.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lenihan can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of Irish history dating back to the 12th century. The annals mention a person named Diarmaid O'Lonáin, who was a notable figure in the region around Macroom in the late 12th century.

In the 16th century, the Lenihan family was among the most prominent septs (clans) in the Muskerry region of County Cork. They were closely associated with the MacCarthy clan, who were the ruling dynasty in the area at the time.

During the 17th century, several members of the Lenihan family played notable roles in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. One such individual was Donogh Lenihan, a captain in the Confederate Catholic forces who was killed in battle in 1646.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Lenihan name continued to be prominent in County Cork and other parts of Munster. Notable individuals from this period include:

1. John Lenihan (1768-1848), an Irish Catholic landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Kilmallock.
2. Maurice Lenihan (1811-1854), an Irish historian and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history and traditions of County Cork.
3. Patrick Lenihan (1815-1887), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Bishop of Killaloe.
4. Michael Lenihan (1889-1962), an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Lands and later as a judge.
5. Brian Lenihan (1930-1995), an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and later as Minister for Finance.

While the Lenihan name has its strongest historical roots in County Cork and Munster, it has also spread to other parts of Ireland and beyond over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lenihan

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

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

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

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