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

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

Popularity of O'Gara in America

O'Gara is the 15763rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Gara surname appeared 1,849 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 O'Gara.

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

The surname OGARA is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Sligo and Mayo. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "O'Gadhra," which means "descendant of Gadhra." Gadhra is thought to have been a personal name meaning "wild goat" or "ardent one."

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, with references found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. One notable bearer of the name from this era was Conor O'Gara, a lord of Coolavin in County Sligo, who lived in the late 12th century.

In the 16th century, the O'Garas were among the most influential families in the Barony of Coolavin. They were allies of the powerful O'Donnell clan and played a significant role in the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) against English rule in Ireland. Donal O'Gara (c. 1570-1636) was a prominent military leader during this conflict.

As the name spread throughout Ireland, variations in spelling emerged, including O'Gara, O'Gare, and Ogara. Records from the 17th and 18th centuries show the name being present in counties like Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Oliver Ogara (1585-1665), an Irish soldier who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653). He was knighted by the Confederation and later served as a colonel in the Spanish Army.

Another prominent figure was Maurice O'Gara (1700-1768), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Ireland and the Irish language. His works include "Dissertations on the Antiquities of Connaught" and "A Compendious Antiquarian of the Diocese of Elphin."

During the 19th century, the name OGARA became more widespread as many Irish families emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Australia, due to events like the Great Famine (1845-1849).

Throughout its history, the surname OGARA has been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Coolavin, Ballycogley, and Castlerea, reflecting the ancestral lands and territories of different branches of the family.

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

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

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'Gara 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'Gara 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'Gara 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'Gara, please contact us.

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