2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Manigan
A surname derived from an Irish word meaning "little monk".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Manigan. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manigan 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Manigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manigan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.2%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manigan
The surname Manigan is believed to have originated in Ireland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic name "O'Manachan," which translates to "descendant of the monk." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who had ties to religious orders or monasteries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Manigan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. This manuscript, compiled in the early 17th century, mentions a "Manugan O'Coffey" who was involved in a battle in County Kerry in the year 1262.
Throughout the centuries, the name Manigan has undergone various spelling variations, such as Monaghan, Monahan, and Monahon. These variations often reflect regional dialects or the influence of different scribes and record-keepers.
Notably, the name Manigan has been associated with several historical figures. One such figure is Patrick Manigan (1667-1737), an Irish Catholic priest and philosopher who was known for his writings on ethics and natural law.
Another prominent individual with the Manigan surname was John Manigan (1798-1876), an Irish-born American politician who served as the 22nd Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1858 to 1860.
In the realm of literature, the name Manigan appears in the works of Irish novelist and playwright John Millington Synge (1871-1909), who included characters with this surname in some of his plays set in the Aran Islands.
Additionally, the name Manigan has been linked to certain place names in Ireland. For instance, Monaghan County, located in the northern part of the country, is believed to have derived its name from the Irish "Muineachán," which is related to the Manigan surname.
Throughout history, numerous other individuals have borne the Manigan surname, including John Manigan (1827-1901), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Manigan and Waddell Carriage Company in New York City, and Michael Manigan (1892-1973), an Irish politician who served as a member of the Irish Parliament for County Monaghan from 1927 to 1948.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Manigan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.2%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Manigan 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 Manigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.2% · 67
- White21.7% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 7
- Two or more races6.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manigan
Manigan 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-19 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,989 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 26,989 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 289 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 Manigan 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 | #152,628 | #152,339 | 0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 106 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manigan bearers went from 107 to 106 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,339.
FAQ
Manigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manigan?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Manigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Manigan?
Manigan ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Manigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Manigan.
Has Manigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manigan went from 107 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Manigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manigan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.2%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Manigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.2%), White (21.7%), Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Manigan (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 Manigan mean?
A surname derived from an Irish word meaning "little monk". 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 Manigan (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 Manigan?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Manigan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.