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

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

Popularity of O'Hair in America

O'Hair is the 23386th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Hair surname appeared 1,088 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'Hair.

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

The surname OHAIR is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic words "O" meaning "descendant of" and "hAir" meaning "keeper of a crannog". A crannog was an ancient Gaelic Irish dwelling, typically a fortified wooden structure built on an artificial island in a lake or river. The name first emerged in County Sligo, Ireland during the 11th century.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval Irish chronicle which mentions an "O'hAir" in the year 1095. It is likely that the O'hAir clan were historical keepers and defenders of a crannog in County Sligo during this time period.

In the 14th century, the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, a collection of medieval accounts from the diocese of Cloyne in County Cork, Ireland, listed a "Dermot O'Hayer" who was likely a descendant of the original O'hAir clan. This spelling variation highlights the development of the name over time.

A notable bearer of the name was Randal O'Hair, an Irish soldier who fought alongside the English forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the late 16th century. He was born around 1550 in County Sligo.

Another historical figure was Conor O'Hair, a 17th century Irish poet and harpist from County Sligo, known for his compositions in the ancient Gaelic tradition. He lived from approximately 1615 to 1685.

In the 19th century, James O'Hair was a prominent Irish businessman and landowner from County Sligo. Born in 1810, he established a successful shipping company and was involved in local politics.

Mary O'Hair, an Irish immigrant to the United States, was a noted educator and advocate for women's rights in the late 19th century. She was born in County Sligo in 1845 and later settled in New York City, where she founded a school for underprivileged children.

Finally, Patrick O'Hair was an Irish-born American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born in County Sligo in 1838, he fought in several major battles and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

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

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

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'Hair 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'Hair 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'Hair 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'Hair, please contact us.

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