2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Madagan
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Madáin meaning "descendant of Madán".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Madagan. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Madagan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Madagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Madagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Madagan
The surname Madagan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "madaidh," which means "wolf" or "dog." This name likely served as a nickname for a fierce warrior or hunter in ancient times.
One of the earliest known references to the Madagan name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks. In this text, the name appears as "Ó Madadháin," which translates to "descendant of Madadhán," with Madadhán being an early form of the surname.
The first recorded bearer of the Madagan surname was Donal Ó Madadháin, who lived in the 14th century and was a member of a prominent Irish clan based in County Leitrim. This clan held significant influence in the region and played a role in several historical events of that era.
Another notable figure with the Madagan surname was Séamus Ó Madadháin, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and leader of the Ó Madadháin clan. He was known for his military prowess and his resistance against English colonial forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
In the 17th century, the name Madagan appeared in various records related to the Irish Confederate Wars, where several members of the Ó Madadháin clan fought alongside the Catholic Confederates against the English Parliamentarian forces.
The Madagan surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballymadagan, a townland located in County Leitrim. This place name likely derived from the Ó Madadháin clan's historic presence in the area.
Throughout history, there have been several other notable individuals bearing the Madagan surname. One such person was Seán Ó Madadháin, an 18th-century Irish poet and scholar who was renowned for his works in the Irish language. Another notable figure was Máire Ní Mhadadháin, a 20th-century Irish language activist and writer, who played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Irish language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Madagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Madagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Madagan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Madagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Madagan
Madagan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 8,021 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Madagan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #143,511 | 5.3% |
| Count | 108 | 118 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Madagan bearers went from 108 to 118 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 8,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #143,511.
FAQ
Madagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Madagan?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Madagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Madagan?
Madagan ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Madagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Madagan.
Has Madagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Madagan went from 108 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 10 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Madagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Madagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Madagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Madagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Madagan (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Madagan mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Madáin meaning "descendant of Madán". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Madagan (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Madagan?
If you just want to know how many people are called Madagan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.