2000
#5,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,756
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Mangan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Mongáin, meaning "descendant of Mongán," a personal name of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,451 Americans carry the last name Mangan. That puts it at #5,907 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mangan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mangan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 53,132
Census rank
#5,907
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,626 bearers of the surname Mangan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5907th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mangan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mangan
The surname Mangan originated in Ireland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Mongáin" which means "descendant of Mongán." Mongán was a popular personal name in ancient Ireland and is thought to have meant "little monk" or "small furry one."
The Mangan name was first found in County Cork and the surrounding areas of Munster province. It is one of the few Irish surnames that does not have an "O" or "Mac" prefix, indicating it may have originated from a nickname rather than a direct patronymic.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Mangan name is in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a man named Mael Mongán is mentioned in the year 1025. The name also appears in the Registry of Deeds of Ireland from the 16th century.
A notable early bearer of the Mangan surname was James Clarence Mangan (1803-1849), an Irish poet and translator. His works helped revive interest in Irish literature and mythology during the 19th century Celtic revival.
Another prominent figure was John Mangan (1816-1898), an Irish-American engineer and architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Old Saint Patrick's Cathedral and the New York State Arsenal.
In the 17th century, the Mangan name can be found in records from the Irish Rebellion of 1641, where several men with this surname fought against English rule in Ireland.
The name Mangan also has ties to various place names in Ireland, such as Mangans Cross in County Cork and Mangans Hill in County Limerick, indicating areas where families with this surname may have lived or originated.
Other notable Mangans throughout history include John Mangan (1823-1904), an Irish-American Catholic priest and author; Clarence Mangan (1890-1961), an American football player and coach; and James Mangan (1836-1912), an Irish-American politician who served as Mayor of Brooklyn, New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mangan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mangan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mangan 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 Mangan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 5,117
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 211
- Two or more races2.4% · 135
- Black or African American1.4% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mangan
Mangan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,315
+559 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Up 37 places
2020
#5,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,626
-689 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,545 | 5,756 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,508 | 6,315 | 2.14 | +559 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 37 places |
| 2020 | #5,907 | 5,626 | 1.88 | -689 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 399 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 Mangan 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 | #5,508 | #5,907 | -7.2% |
| Count | 6,315 | 5,626 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 1.88 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mangan bearers went from 6,315 to 5,626 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 399 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,508 to #5,907.
FAQ
Mangan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mangan?
Name Census estimates that about 6,451 living Americans carry the surname Mangan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,132 residents.
How common is Mangan?
Mangan ranks #5,907 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,626 people with the surname Mangan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,451), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mangan.
Has Mangan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mangan went from 6,315 recorded bearers to 5,626. That is a decrease of 689 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,508 to #5,907.
What does the Census say about the background of Mangan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mangan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mangan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (5,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mangan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mangan (2000, 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 Mangan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Mongáin, meaning "descendant of Mongán," a personal name of uncertain meaning. 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 Mangan (1.88 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 share the surname Mangan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.