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

O'Banner, 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 O'Banner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Banner in America

O'Banner is the 45189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Banner surname appeared 474 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname O'Banner.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'Banner 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 O'Banner

The surname OBANNER has its origins in Ireland, emerging in the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic term "O'Binneain," which translates to "descendant of Binneain." The name Binneain itself stems from the Old Irish word "binnén," meaning "little peak" or "small hill," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided in a hilly or mountainous region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the OBANNER surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention an individual named Donnchadh O'Binneain, who lived in the late 16th century and was a prominent figure in County Mayo.

In the 17th century, the OBANNER surname appeared in various historical documents, often in the anglicized form "O'Bannon." One notable individual was Edmond O'Bannon (c. 1620-1680), a landowner and prominent member of the Irish Catholic gentry in County Tipperary.

As the OBANNER family spread across Ireland and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, including O'Bannion, O'Benion, and O'Binnion. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preference of individual scribes or record-keepers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the OBANNER surname in North America dates back to the late 18th century. Joseph O'Bannon (1743-1809), born in County Cavan, Ireland, immigrated to Virginia in the 1760s and later served as a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable bearer of the OBANNER surname was John O'Bannon (1778-1858), an American politician and military officer from Kentucky. He served as a colonel in the War of 1812 and later represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives from 1823 to 1835.

In the 19th century, the OBANNER surname gained further recognition with the birth of William O'Bannon (1842-1914), a renowned American naval officer. He is best known for his role in the Boxer Rebellion in China, where he famously led a group of Marines in the rescue of foreign nationals besieged in Beijing in 1900.

Another notable individual was Patrick O'Bannon (1869-1950), an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from 1924 until his retirement in 1947.

The OBANNER surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Ireland, such as Bannonstown in County Tipperary and Bannon's Cross in County Galway, further emphasizing its deep roots in the Irish landscape and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Banner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Banner.

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 O'Banner 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 O'Banner 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 O'Banner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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