2000
#11,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,390
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Ogorman
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gormáin," meaning "descendant of Gormán" (a personal name meaning "little blue one").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,711 Americans carry the last name Ogorman. That puts it at #12,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ogorman 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 Ogorman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,431
Census rank
#12,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,364 bearers of the surname Ogorman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ogorman
The surname O'Gorman originates from Ireland and can be traced back to ancient Gaelic roots. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Gormáin," which means "descendant of Gormán." Gormán was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "gorm," meaning "blue" or "brilliant."
The O'Gorman clan was prominent in County Clare and County Limerick, with their ancestral homeland located in the territory of Ibrickan, near Quin in County Clare. The name first appeared in Irish annals and records as early as the 11th century, with several notable members of the O'Gorman family mentioned throughout the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, which mention a chieftain named Gormán mac Duibdabairenn, who ruled over the Uí Cormaic territory in County Clare in the 11th century. Another notable figure was Mathghamhain Ó Gormáin, who served as the Bishop of Killaloe from 1279 to 1293.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the O'Gorman clan played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars, with several members serving as leaders and military commanders. One such figure was Donogh O'Gorman, who was appointed as the Colonel of the Irish Infantry in 1642 during the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
In the 18th century, John O'Gorman (1723-1804) was a prominent Irish Catholic priest and writer who advocated for Catholic rights and participated in the Irish Patriot movement. He served as the president of the Irish College in Paris and was a vocal supporter of the French Revolution.
Another notable figure was Nicholas Purcell O'Gorman (1785-1857), an Irish-born American politician who served as the Secretary of the Navy under President James K. Polk from 1845 to 1849. He played a crucial role in the Mexican-American War and the acquisition of California and the Southwest territories.
The O'Gorman name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballygurman, Gormansmill, and Gormanbeg, which were derived from the original Gaelic form of the surname.
Throughout history, the O'Gorman family has produced numerous scholars, writers, politicians, and military leaders, contributing significantly to the cultural and historical legacy of Ireland and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ogorman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ogorman 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 Ogorman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,146
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 119
- Two or more races2.3% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ogorman
Ogorman 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
#12,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 848 places
2020
#12,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,364
-33 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,994 | 2,390 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,842 | 2,397 | 0.81 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 848 places |
| 2020 | #12,517 | 2,364 | 0.79 | -33 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 325 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 Ogorman 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 | #12,842 | #12,517 | 2.5% |
| Count | 2,397 | 2,364 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.79 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ogorman bearers went from 2,397 to 2,364 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,842 to #12,517.
FAQ
Ogorman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ogorman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,711 living Americans carry the surname Ogorman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,431 residents.
How common is Ogorman?
Ogorman ranks #12,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,364 people with the surname Ogorman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Ogorman.
Has Ogorman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ogorman went from 2,397 recorded bearers to 2,364. That is a decrease of 33 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,842 to #12,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Ogorman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ogorman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ogorman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ogorman (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 Ogorman mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gormáin," meaning "descendant of Gormán" (a personal name meaning "little blue one"). 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 Ogorman (0.79 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 common is the surname Ogorman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Ogorman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.