2000
#6,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Manion
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Mainnin," meaning "descendant of Mainnin," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,547 Americans carry the last name Manion. That puts it at #6,705 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,791 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manion 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 Manion with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 61,791
Census rank
#6,705
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,837 bearers of the surname Manion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6705th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manion, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manion
The surname Manion has its origins in Ireland, where it is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Manachain. This name is derived from the Irish word "manach," meaning "monk," suggesting that the original bearer may have been a monk or had some connection with a monastery.
The Manion name can be traced back to the 12th century in County Monaghan, Ireland, where the Ó Manachain clan was based. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a certain Gilla-na-naem Ó Manachain in the year 1168.
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the 16th century, many Irish surnames underwent Anglicization, and Ó Manachain became Manion. This process was often carried out by English scribes who transcribed the names according to their phonetic spelling.
One notable figure in Irish history bearing the Manion surname was Roger Manion (c. 1625-1673), a Catholic lawyer and landowner from County Monaghan. He was a prominent supporter of the Confederation of Kilkenny, a movement that sought to defend the rights of Irish Catholics during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
In the 18th century, James Manion (1748-1830) was a renowned Irish architect who designed numerous buildings in Dublin, including the Provost's House at Trinity College and the Royal Exchange.
Another significant individual with the Manion name was John Manion (1840-1923), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1892 to 1917.
In more recent history, Michael Manion (1920-1999) was an Irish-American actor and comedian, best known for his roles in movies such as "Midnight Cowboy" and "The Sting."
Additionally, the name Manion has been associated with several places in Ireland, such as Manionstown, a townland in County Monaghan, and Manorhamilton, a town in County Leitrim, which may have derived its name from the Gaelic "Manachain," meaning "monks' land."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manion
Among Census respondents with the surname Manion, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Manion 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 Manion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 4,352
- Two or more races3.5% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 147
- Black or African American1.8% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manion
Manion 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
#6,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,099
+175 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 273 places
2020
#6,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,837
-262 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,367 | 4,924 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,640 | 5,099 | 1.73 | +175 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 273 places |
| 2020 | #6,705 | 4,837 | 1.62 | -262 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 65 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 Manion 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 | #6,640 | #6,705 | -1.0% |
| Count | 5,099 | 4,837 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.62 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manion bearers went from 5,099 to 4,837 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,640 to #6,705.
FAQ
Manion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manion?
Name Census estimates that about 5,547 living Americans carry the surname Manion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,791 residents.
How common is Manion?
Manion ranks #6,705 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 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 4,837 people with the surname Manion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,547), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 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 Manion.
Has Manion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manion went from 5,099 recorded bearers to 4,837. That is a decrease of 262 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,640 to #6,705.
What does the Census say about the background of Manion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manion, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Manion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (4,352 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Manion (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 Manion mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Mainnin," meaning "descendant of Mainnin," a personal name of unknown 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 Manion (1.62 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 Manion?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.