Find out how popular the last name O'Beirne 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'Beirne.

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

Popularity of O'Beirne in America

O'Beirne is the 37180th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Beirne surname appeared 600 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'Beirne.

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

The surname OBEIRNE has its origins in Ireland, and it is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Béirn," which means "descendant of Béirn."

Béirn is thought to be a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "bern," meaning "gap" or "breach." This name may have been given to someone who lived near a geographical feature such as a gap or pass in a mountain range.

The earliest recorded instances of the name OBEIRNE can be found in ancient Irish annals and manuscripts. For example, the name appears in the "Annals of the Four Masters," a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.

One notable figure bearing the OBEIRNE surname was Séamus Ó Béirn, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and leader of the Ó Béirn clan in County Roscommon. He was known for his resistance against English rule in Ireland during the Tudor conquest.

In the 17th century, Owen O'Beirne (1580-1655) was a prominent Irish Catholic priest and scholar. He was born in County Longford and served as the Bishop of Cloyne before being forced into exile during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

Another notable OBEIRNE was Dónall Ó Béirn (1685-1755), an Irish poet and scribe from County Mayo. He is best known for his collection of Irish-language poetry, which provides valuable insights into the language and culture of 18th-century Ireland.

In the 19th century, William Obeirne (1810-1886) was an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor. He was instrumental in the exploration and mapping of western Victoria and South Australia, and several geographical features bear his name.

Finally, John O'Beirne (1905-1973) was an Irish-American author and playwright. Born in County Mayo, he immigrated to the United States and became known for his novels and plays depicting the experiences of Irish immigrants in America.

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

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

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'Beirne 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'Beirne 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'Beirne 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'Beirne, please contact us.

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