2000
#60,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 309
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Morahan
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Moracháin, derived from a personal name meaning "mariner" or "sailor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 401 Americans carry the last name Morahan. That puts it at #61,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 854,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morahan 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 Morahan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
401
1 in 854,749
Census rank
#61,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
350
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 350 bearers of the surname Morahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morahan
The surname Morahan is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word "Ó Moracháin," which means "descendant of Morachán." Morachán was a personal name in Irish, derived from the Old Irish word "mor," meaning "great" or "large," combined with a diminutive suffix.
The Morahan name can be traced back to County Sligo in the northwestern region of Ireland, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. It is believed that the name was first adopted by a family residing in the area known as Coolera (Cuil Ire) in County Sligo.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Morahan surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by Franciscan monks in the early 17th century. The annals mention a Morahan chieftain named Cormac O'Morahan, who was involved in conflicts with the O'Conors and the English in the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the Morahan family was among the Irish clans that resisted English rule. A notable figure from this period was Terence Morahan, who fought against the English forces in the Nine Years' War (1594-1603).
Another prominent individual with the Morahan surname was John Morahan (1645-1728), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote a significant work titled "The Ecclesiastical History of Ireland." This book provided a detailed account of the Catholic Church in Ireland during the 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the Morahan surname include:
1. Michael Morahan (1770-1825), an Irish-born soldier who fought in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
2. James Morahan (1803-1879), an Irish-born Australian politician and landowner who played a role in the development of the colony of Victoria.
3. John Morahan (1859-1932), an Irish-born American politician who served as the Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1904 to 1908.
4. Thomas Morahan (1890-1966), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who served as the president of the University of Dayton from 1937 to 1950.
5. Michael Morahan (born 1934), an Irish writer and journalist who authored several books on Irish history and culture.
The Morahan surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Morahan's Lough and Morahan's Bridge, both located in County Sligo. These place names reflect the historical presence of the Morahan family in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Morahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Morahan 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 Morahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 338
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- Two or more races0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morahan
Morahan 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
#59,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 343
+34 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 1,870 places
2020
#61,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
+7 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 2,873 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,887 | 309 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,017 | 343 | 0.12 | +34 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 1,870 places |
| 2020 | #61,890 | 350 | 0.12 | +7 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 2,873 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 Morahan 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 | #59,017 | #61,890 | -4.9% |
| Count | 343 | 350 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morahan bearers went from 343 to 350 (+2.0% change). The surname moved down 2,873 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,017 to #61,890.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morahan
FAQ
Morahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morahan?
Name Census estimates that about 401 living Americans carry the surname Morahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 854,749 residents.
How common is Morahan?
Morahan ranks #61,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 350 people with the surname Morahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Morahan.
Has Morahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morahan went from 343 recorded bearers to 350. That is an increase of 7 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,017 to #61,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Morahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Morahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (2.3%), Black (0.6%). 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 Morahan (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 Morahan mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Moracháin, derived from a personal name meaning "mariner" or "sailor." 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 Morahan (0.12 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 Americans have the surname Morahan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.