2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meligan
Irish: Gaelic diminutive of a personal name, meaning "little chief".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Meligan. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meligan 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Meligan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meligan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meligan
The surname Meligan is believed to have originated in Ireland, although its precise origins and etymology are uncertain. Some historians suggest that it may derive from the Irish Gaelic term "meiligín," which means "little chief" or "little king," potentially indicating a connection to a historical clan or ruling family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meligan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a Meligan O'Clery, a prominent Irish scholar and historian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Another notable bearer of the Meligan surname was John Meligan, an Irish revolutionary who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule. He was born in County Wexford in 1765 and was executed for his role in the uprising in 1798.
In the 19th century, the Meligan name appears to have spread beyond Ireland, with records indicating individuals bearing the surname in other parts of the British Isles and North America. One such figure was Thomas Meligan (1813-1898), a Canadian politician and businessman from New Brunswick who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
The Meligan surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Meligan's Hill in County Sligo and Meligan's Bridge in County Mayo. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Other notable individuals with the Meligan surname include Patrick Meligan (1848-1925), an Irish-American journalist and writer who worked for several newspapers in New York City, and Michael Meligan (1892-1976), an Irish actor and playwright who appeared in numerous stage productions and films in the early 20th century.
While the precise origins of the Meligan surname remain shrouded in mystery, its historical presence in Ireland and the various individuals who have borne the name suggest a rich and diverse heritage spanning centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meligan
Among Census respondents with the surname Meligan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Meligan 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 Meligan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meligan
Meligan 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,528 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5,528 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,852 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 Meligan 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 | #148,347 | #146,495 | 1.2% |
| Count | 111 | 114 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meligan bearers went from 111 to 114 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #146,495.
FAQ
Meligan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meligan?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Meligan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Meligan?
Meligan ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Meligan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Meligan.
Has Meligan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meligan went from 111 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Meligan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meligan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Meligan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meligan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Meligan (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 Meligan mean?
Irish: Gaelic diminutive of a personal name, meaning "little chief". 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 Meligan (0.04 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 have the last name Meligan?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Meligan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.