2000
#14,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,839
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Ohagan
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó hÁgáin," meaning "descendant of Ágán" (a diminutive of Ága, meaning "battle").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,257 Americans carry the last name Ohagan. That puts it at #14,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,863 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ohagan 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 Ohagan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,863
Census rank
#14,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,968 bearers of the surname Ohagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ohagan
The surname OHAGAN is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó hAgáin" meaning "descendant of Agán". The name can be traced back to the 10th century in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The OHAGAN surname is believed to have originated in the Ballyclog area of County Tyrone, where the family was part of the Clann Ó hAgáin, a sept or sub-group of the larger Airghialla dynasty. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions an "Ó hAgáin" in the year 1022.
In the 12th century, the OHAGAN family was involved in a boundary dispute with the O'Neills, another prominent Irish clan. This conflict is documented in the Book of Fenagh, an ancient Irish manuscript dating back to the 14th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Ruaidrí Ó hAgáin, a 13th-century bard and poet who is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the OHAGAN surname was prominent in the Barony of Loughinsholin, County Londonderry. Notable figures from this period include Aodh Ó hAgáin (c. 1550-1635), a Gaelic poet and scholar, and Cormac Ó hAgáin (c. 1590-1670), a military leader who fought in the Irish Confederate Wars.
In the 18th century, the OHAGAN name was found in County Tyrone, particularly in the parishes of Desertoghill and Drumragh. One notable figure from this time was Patrick O'Hagan (1719-1794), a Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.
As the OHAGAN surname spread throughout Ireland, it also made its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One prominent example is John O'Hagan (1822-1890), an Australian politician and judge who served as the Attorney-General of New South Wales and the Vice-President of the Legislative Council.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ohagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ohagan 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 Ohagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 1,751
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 94
- Two or more races4.7% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ohagan
Ohagan 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
#14,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
+159 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#14,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,968
-30 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,805 | 1,839 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,834 | 1,998 | 0.68 | +159 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #14,555 | 1,968 | 0.66 | -30 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 279 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 Ohagan 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 | #14,834 | #14,555 | 1.9% |
| Count | 1,998 | 1,968 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.66 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ohagan bearers went from 1,998 to 1,968 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 279 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,834 to #14,555.
FAQ
Ohagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ohagan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,257 living Americans carry the surname Ohagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,863 residents.
How common is Ohagan?
Ohagan ranks #14,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,968 people with the surname Ohagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Ohagan.
Has Ohagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ohagan went from 1,998 recorded bearers to 1,968. That is a decrease of 30 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,834 to #14,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Ohagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Ohagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (1,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ohagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Ohagan (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 Ohagan mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó hÁgáin," meaning "descendant of Ágán" (a diminutive of Ága, meaning "battle"). 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 Ohagan (0.66 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 Ohagan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.