2000
#2,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.32
Uncommon Last name
Meehan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Miadhachain," meaning "descendant of the honourable one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,228 Americans carry the last name Meehan. That puts it at #2,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,121 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meehan 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 Meehan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,121
Census rank
#2,485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,152 bearers of the surname Meehan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meehan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meehan
The surname Meehan is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Miadhachain, which originated in County Donegal, Ireland. The name derives from the Old Irish word "miodhach," meaning "honorable" or "worthy of honor." It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meehan appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a member of the Ó Miadhachain clan named Muircheartach Ó Miadhachain, who lived in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name Meehan can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of letters patent and grants issued by the English monarchs during their reign over Ireland. This suggests that the name was well-established in Ireland by that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Irish families, including the Meehans, were forced to anglicize their surnames due to the English conquest of Ireland and the suppression of Irish culture and language. As a result, the spelling of the name evolved from Ó Miadhachain to its more modern form, Meehan.
Notable individuals with the surname Meehan throughout history include:
1. Patrick Meehan (1847-1898), an Irish-American priest and educator who served as the third president of St. Vincent's College in Pennsylvania.
2. Thomas Meehan (1826-1901), an English-born American horticulturist and botanist who was a pioneer in the field of landscape architecture.
3. John Meehan (1889-1934), an Irish-born American actor and playwright who was active in the early 20th century.
4. Mary Josephine Meehan (1863-1941), an Irish-born American educator and writer who founded the Meehan Memorial School for Girls in New York City.
5. Michael Meehan (1852-1931), an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The surname Meehan has a rich history rooted in Ireland, with its origins dating back to the 12th century. Despite the anglicization of the name, it has maintained a strong presence throughout the centuries and has been borne by numerous notable individuals across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meehan
Among Census respondents with the surname Meehan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Meehan 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 Meehan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 13,057
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 515
- Two or more races2.4% · 335
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 157
- Black or African American0.5% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meehan
Meehan 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
#2,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,630
+282 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 4.96
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#2,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,152
-478 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 4.73
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,310 | 14,348 | 5.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,464 | 14,630 | 4.96 | +282 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #2,485 | 14,152 | 4.73 | -478 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 21 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 Meehan 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 | #2,464 | #2,485 | -0.9% |
| Count | 14,630 | 14,152 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.96 | 4.73 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meehan bearers went from 14,630 to 14,152 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,464 to #2,485.
FAQ
Meehan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meehan?
Name Census estimates that about 16,228 living Americans carry the surname Meehan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,121 residents.
How common is Meehan?
Meehan ranks #2,485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,152 people with the surname Meehan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Meehan.
Has Meehan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meehan went from 14,630 recorded bearers to 14,152. That is a decrease of 478 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,464 to #2,485.
What does the Census say about the background of Meehan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meehan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Meehan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (13,057 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meehan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Meehan (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 Meehan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Miadhachain," meaning "descendant of the honourable one." 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 Meehan (4.73 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 Meehan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.