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

McGeehon, 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 McGeehon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGeehon in America

McGeehon is the 122314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGeehon surname appeared 141 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McGeehon.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGeehon 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 McGeehon

The surname MCGEEHON has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic personal name "MacGiolla Chon," which means "son of the servant of the hound." This suggests that the earliest bearer of the name may have been employed as a huntsman or worked with hounds.

The name was initially found in County Donegal, situated in the northwest of Ireland. It was relatively localized in this region during the medieval period, with few records of it appearing elsewhere in the country. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in an entry from the year 1292.

By the 16th century, the MCGEEHON surname had begun to spread beyond Donegal, with records showing bearers of the name in neighboring counties such as Tyrone and Fermanagh. During this period, the name also appeared in various forms, including McGeehan, McGehon, and McGehon, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings at the time.

One notable early bearer of the MCGEEHON name was Patrick McGehon, a merchant and landowner who lived in County Donegal in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in trade with Scotland and England, suggesting that the name was beginning to gain recognition beyond Ireland's borders.

In the 17th century, the MCGEEHON surname became more widely distributed across Ireland, with pockets of the name appearing in counties such as Mayo, Galway, and Dublin. During this period, the name was also found in various historical documents, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which recorded land grants and other legal transactions.

One significant figure bearing the MCGEEHON name was Brian McGehon, a Catholic priest who lived in the early 18th century. He was known for his scholarship and his involvement in the Irish language revival movement, publishing several works in Gaelic during his lifetime.

Another notable MCGEEHON was John McGeehan, a United Irishman and revolutionary who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. He was captured and imprisoned for his role in the uprising but later emigrated to the United States, where he settled in Pennsylvania.

As the 19th century progressed, many individuals with the MCGEEHON surname left Ireland, joining the vast Irish diaspora that spread across the world. One prominent MCGEEHON in this period was Michael McGeehan, a successful businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Brooklyn, New York, in the 1870s.

In the 20th century, the MCGEEHON name continued to be represented in various fields, with individuals such as Francis McGeehan, a renowned Irish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City in the early 1900s, and John McGehon, a World War II veteran and recipient of the Silver Star for his bravery in combat during the Battle of the Bulge.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGeehon

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

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

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

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