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

Monaghan, 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 Monaghan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Monaghan in America

Monaghan is the 4452nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Monaghan surname appeared 7,968 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Monaghan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Monaghan 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 Monaghan

The surname Monaghan originates from Ireland and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Irish Gaelic 'Muineachán,' meaning 'little plain' or 'little thicket.' This name refers to the town of Monaghan in County Monaghan, which was established by Irish monks in the 5th century.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, which mentions a chieftain named Muiredach Muineachán who died in 767 AD. In the 12th century, the Book of Leinster, an important medieval Irish manuscript, also includes references to individuals with the surname Muineachán or Monaghan.

During the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, Monaghan. One notable bearer of this surname was Hugh Monaghan, a prominent Irish chieftain who fought against the English forces in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the 1659 Census of Ireland, which lists several Monaghan families living in County Monaghan and neighboring counties. One prominent figure from this period was Patrick Monaghan (1630-1706), a Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Raphoe.

In the 18th century, the Monaghan family continued to play an important role in Irish history. Notably, Andrew Monaghan (1743-1820) was a member of the Irish Patriot movement and fought alongside the United Irishmen during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Other notable individuals with the surname Monaghan include:

1. James Monaghan (1831-1910), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who co-founded the University of Detroit Mercy.
2. John Monaghan (1878-1916), an Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood who participated in the Easter Rising of 1916.
3. Dorothy Monaghan (1895-1971), an American actress and vaudeville performer known for her roles in several silent films.
4. Tom Monaghan (born 1937), an American entrepreneur and founder of the Domino's Pizza chain.
5. Brendan Monaghan (born 1958), an Irish Gaelic football player and manager who played for the Dublin senior football team.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Monaghan

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

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

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

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