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

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

Popularity of O'Flanagan in America

O'Flanagan is the 73215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Flanagan surname appeared 265 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'Flanagan.

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

The surname OFLANAGAN has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is a variant spelling of the Irish Gaelic name O'Flanagan or O Flanagain, which means "descendant of Flanagan." The prefix "O" signifies "grandson" or "descendant of" in Irish naming conventions.

The name Flanagan itself is derived from the Old Irish personal name Flannagan, which is a diminutive form of "Flann," meaning "red" or "ruddy." This suggests that the original bearer of the name may have had reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.

Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries show various spellings of the name, such as O'Flanagane, O'Flanygane, and O'Flanaghan, which were commonly found in counties Roscommon, Sligo, and Mayo in the western province of Connacht.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Ruaidhri O'Flanagan, who was a prominent Irish physician and poet in the 16th century. He was known for his medical treatise written in the Irish language.

Another notable figure was Theophilus O'Flanagan (1785-1859), an Irish historian and writer who published several works on Irish history and antiquities. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy and contributed to the preservation of Irish cultural heritage.

In the 19th century, Michael O'Flanagan (1834-1899) was an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who served as the first president of Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sir Theobald Butler O'Flanagan (1919-2001) was an Irish barrister and judge who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland from 1973 to 1989.

More recently, Liam O'Flanagan (born 1942) is an Irish author and journalist who has written several books on Irish history and culture, including a biography of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname OFLANAGAN, which has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and has been carried by notable figures in various fields over the centuries.

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

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

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'Flanagan 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'Flanagan 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'Flanagan 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'Flanagan, please contact us.

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