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

Mahone, 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 Mahone surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mahone in America

Mahone is the 8369th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mahone surname appeared 3,956 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 Mahone.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mahone 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 Mahone

The surname Mahone originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name O'Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain." The name Mathghamhain is a compound of the Irish words "maith" meaning good and "gamhain" meaning calf or breed of cattle.

The Mahone surname was first found in County Cork, where they were a prominent family descended from the ancient Kings of Munster. One of the earliest records of the name is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, which mention a Mathghamhain who was the chief poet of Munster in the year 1014.

In the 13th century, a branch of the Mahone family settled in County Clare, where they held lands and estates. In the 1659 Census of Ireland, several Mahone families were recorded in County Clare, including the family of Donogh Mahone of Bally-Vahone.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir William Mahone, who was born in County Cork around 1350. He was a prominent soldier and served as the High Sheriff of County Cork in 1382.

Another notable Mahone was Donough Mahone, born in County Clare in 1590. He was a renowned Irish Catholic priest and scholar, known for his work in preserving ancient Irish manuscripts and promoting Irish language and culture.

In the 17th century, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, many Mahone families were dispossessed of their lands and estates. Some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas to seek new opportunities.

One famous bearer of the Mahone surname was William Mahone, born in 1826 in Southampton County, Virginia. He was a prominent American railroad executive, military officer, and political figure, serving as a Confederate General during the American Civil War and later as a U.S. Senator from Virginia.

The Mahone surname has also been found in various spellings throughout history, including O'Mahony, O'Mahoun, Mahoun, and Mahown, reflecting the linguistic variations and regional dialects of Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mahone

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

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

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

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