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

Moynihan, 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 Moynihan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moynihan in America

Moynihan is the 7627th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moynihan surname appeared 4,352 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Moynihan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moynihan 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 Moynihan

The surname Moynihan is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Muimhneacháin, which means "descendant of Muimhneachán". The name Muimhneachán is derived from the Irish word "muimhneach", meaning "hospitable" or "munificent".

The name Moynihan is predominantly found in the counties of Cork, Kerry, and Limerick in the southwestern part of Ireland. It is believed that the name originated in the region known as Munster, which was once a powerful kingdom in medieval Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Muimhneachán mac Duibhdhara, who was a celebrated Irish poet and historian in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a certain Dermot Moynihan was noted as a member of the Irish nobility and a landowner in County Cork. This suggests that the Moynihan family held a significant social and political status at the time.

Another notable figure from history was Daniel Moynihan (1927-2003), an American politician, sociologist, and diplomat. He served as a United States Senator from New York and later as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Other notable individuals with the surname Moynihan include:

1. Michael Moynihan (1670-1737), an Irish Catholic priest and Bishop of Killaloe.
2. Patrick Moynihan (1778-1825), an Irish rebel leader during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
3. William Moynihan (1862-1936), an Irish-born Australian politician and member of the Australian Senate.
4. Mary Moynihan (1925-2021), an Irish actress and singer best known for her roles in various stage productions.
5. Colin Moynihan (born 1959), a British journalist and sports writer for The Telegraph.

The surname Moynihan has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Moynihan's Cross, a townland in County Cork, and Moynihan's Well, a historic well located in County Kerry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moynihan

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

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

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

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