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

Maguire, 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 Maguire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maguire in America

Maguire is the 2173rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maguire surname appeared 16,713 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Maguire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maguire 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 Maguire

The surname Maguire is an ancient Irish name that originated from County Fermanagh, Ulster province, Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic surname Mag Uidhir, which means "son of Odhar" or "son of the dun-colored man". The name can be traced back to the 10th century, and it is believed to have originated from the Irish clan Ui Chremthainn.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Maguire can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which dates back to the 15th century. The annals mention several members of the Maguire clan, including Donal Maguire, who was the chief of the clan in the early 15th century.

The Maguire clan played a significant role in the historical events of Ireland, particularly during the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the 16th century. One of the most notable figures from this era was Hugh Maguire (c. 1500-1600), who was the Lord of Fermanagh and a leader of the Irish resistance against the English forces.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Connor Maguire (1616-1645) was a prominent figure who led the Irish Confederates in Ulster. He was eventually captured and executed by the English forces.

Another notable Maguire was Thomas Maguire (1792-1854), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Ireland and the persecution of Irish Catholics during the Penal Laws.

In more recent times, Moira Maguire (1882-1974) was a renowned Irish artist and illustrator who was celebrated for her depictions of Irish folklore and mythology.

The name Maguire has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Maguiresbridge and Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh, reflecting the clan's historical presence and influence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maguire

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

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

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

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