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

McGuigan, 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 McGuigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGuigan in America

McGuigan is the 8975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGuigan surname appeared 3,646 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 McGuigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGuigan 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 McGuigan

The surname McGuigan is of Irish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name "Mac Uidhilin," which means "son of Uidhilin," with Uidhilin being a diminutive of the personal name Uidhir, derived from the word "odhar" meaning "pale" or "dun-colored."

The name is believed to have originated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, where the McGuigans were part of the Uí Chremthainn sept of the Airghialla people. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Annals of Ulster from the year 1198, which mentions a "Mac Uidhilin."

In the 14th century, the McGuigans were among the many Irish families who were dispossessed of their lands during the Plantation of Ulster. As a result, they dispersed throughout Ireland, with significant populations settling in counties such as Tyrone, Donegal, and Derry.

The name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including McGuigan, McGuiggan, McGuigan, McGuiggen, and McGuiggin. Some notable historical figures bearing the McGuigan surname include:

1. Bernard McGuigan (1849-1928), an Irish-American labor leader and prominent figure in the American Labor Movement.
2. Patrick McGuigan (1811-1877), an Irish journalist and political activist, known for his involvement in the Young Ireland movement.
3. John McGuigan (1853-1933), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, from 1920 to 1933.
4. James McGuigan (1834-1886), an Irish-born Australian politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales.
5. Thomas McGuigan (1892-1957), an Irish Nationalist and member of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence.

The McGuigan name has also been associated with various place names, such as McGuigan's Bridge in County Fermanagh and McGuigan's Lough in County Tyrone, both of which are believed to have been named after members of the McGuigan clan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGuigan

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

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

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

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