2000
#8,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Mcguigan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uiginn," meaning "son of Uiginn," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,067 Americans carry the last name Mcguigan. That puts it at #8,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,277 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcguigan 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 Mcguigan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,277
Census rank
#8,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,547 bearers of the surname Mcguigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcguigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcguigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcguigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcguigan 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 Mcguigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,259
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 163
- Two or more races2.3% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcguigan
Mcguigan 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
#8,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,646
+157 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 299 places
2020
#8,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,547
-99 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,676 | 3,489 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,975 | 3,646 | 1.24 | +157 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 299 places |
| 2020 | #8,866 | 3,547 | 1.19 | -99 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 109 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 Mcguigan 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 | #8,975 | #8,866 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,646 | 3,547 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.19 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcguigan bearers went from 3,646 to 3,547 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,975 to #8,866.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcguigan
FAQ
Mcguigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcguigan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,067 living Americans carry the surname Mcguigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,277 residents.
How common is Mcguigan?
Mcguigan ranks #8,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,547 people with the surname Mcguigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcguigan.
Has Mcguigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcguigan went from 3,646 recorded bearers to 3,547. That is a decrease of 99 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,975 to #8,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcguigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcguigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Mcguigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcguigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Mcguigan (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 Mcguigan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uiginn," meaning "son of Uiginn," 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 Mcguigan (1.19 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 common is the surname Mcguigan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Mcguigan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.