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

Lonergan, 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 Lonergan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lonergan in America

Lonergan is the 8817th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lonergan surname appeared 3,713 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 Lonergan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lonergan 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 Lonergan

The surname Lonergan originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Lonargán, which means "descendant of Lonargan." The name Lonargan itself is a combination of two Gaelic words: "lon," meaning a blackbird, and "argán," meaning a little hero or champion.

Lonergan is an anglicized version of the Irish Ó Longargáin surname, which means "descendant of Lonargán." The Ó prefix in Irish surnames indicates a patronymic name, denoting "grandson of" or "descendant of." The name was prevalent in counties Tipperary and Kilkenny in the southeastern part of Ireland.

One of the earliest known records of the name Lonergan 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 Domhnall Ó Longargáin, who was the Chief of Uí Duach, a territory in County Tipperary, in the year 1286.

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, several individuals with the surname Lonergan are mentioned in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of administrative records from the Tudor period in Ireland. These include Edmund Lonergan, who was granted land in County Tipperary in 1606, and Donell Lonergan, who was pardoned for his involvement in the Desmond Rebellions in 1586.

Notable individuals with the surname Lonergan throughout history include:

1. Donal Cam O'Lonergan (c. 1555-1624), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who fled Ireland during the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics.
2. Patrick Lonergan (1834-1903), an Irish-American civil engineer who designed and constructed several major bridges in the United States.
3. Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984), a Canadian Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian known for his influential works on philosophical method and theology.
4. Donal Lonergan (1937-2003), an Irish actor best known for his roles in films such as "The Commitments" and "The Boxer."
5. Amanda Lonergan (born 1976), an American actress and producer known for her work in television shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "The O.C."

The surname Lonergan is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Lonergan's Cross and Lonergan's Hill in County Tipperary, reflecting the historical presence of the family in that region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lonergan

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

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

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

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