2000
#15,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,767
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Odonoghue
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,438 Americans carry the last name Odonoghue. That puts it at #13,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odonoghue 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 Odonoghue with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,588
Census rank
#13,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,126 bearers of the surname Odonoghue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odonoghue, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odonoghue
The surname O'Donoghue has its origins in Ireland, and it is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Donnchadha," which means "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh is an Irish personal name that is believed to be derived from the words "donn," meaning "brown," and "cath," meaning "battle" or "warrior."
The O'Donoghue family is believed to have originated in County Kerry, in the southwestern part of Ireland. The name is particularly associated with the Kenmare and Killarney areas of County Kerry, where the O'Donoghue clan held significant power and influence during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the O'Donoghue name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle that covers events from the 5th to the 13th centuries. The annals mention several members of the O'Donoghue family, including Donnchadh O'Donoghue, who is recorded as having died in 1166.
In the 14th century, the O'Donoghues were among the most powerful families in County Kerry, and they held extensive lands and castles in the region. One of the most notable members of the family during this period was Geoffroy O'Donoghue, who was the Lord of Glenflesk and Tore in the early 14th century.
Another notable figure from the O'Donoghue family was Dermot O'Donoghue, who was a prominent military leader during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s. He played a significant role in the defense of Munster against the forces of Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, John O'Donoghue (1726-1786) was a prominent Irish-born artist who worked primarily in London. He was known for his portrait paintings and was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1773.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the O'Donoghue surname was Brendan O'Donoghue (1924-2012), who was an Irish politician and member of the Fianna Fáil party. He served as a member of Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) for over 40 years and held several ministerial positions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odonoghue
Among Census respondents with the surname Odonoghue, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Odonoghue 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 Odonoghue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,903
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 76
- Black or African American3.3% · 70
- Two or more races2.7% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odonoghue
Odonoghue 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
#14,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
+344 bearers (+19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 1,054 places
2020
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,126
+15 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 567 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,269 | 1,767 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,215 | 2,111 | 0.72 | +344 bearers (+19.5%) | Up 1,054 places |
| 2020 | #13,648 | 2,126 | 0.71 | +15 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 567 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 Odonoghue 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 | #14,215 | #13,648 | 4.0% |
| Count | 2,111 | 2,126 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.71 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odonoghue bearers went from 2,111 to 2,126 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 567 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,215 to #13,648.
FAQ
Odonoghue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odonoghue?
Name Census estimates that about 2,438 living Americans carry the surname Odonoghue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,588 residents.
How common is Odonoghue?
Odonoghue ranks #13,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,126 people with the surname Odonoghue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Odonoghue.
Has Odonoghue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odonoghue went from 2,111 recorded bearers to 2,126. That is an increase of 15 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,215 to #13,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Odonoghue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odonoghue, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Odonoghue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odonoghue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (3.3%). 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 Odonoghue (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 Odonoghue mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior"). 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 Odonoghue (0.71 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 people share the surname Odonoghue?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.