2000
#10,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Ohearn
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó hEachthigheirn," meaning "descendant of the horse lord" or "descendant of Eachthighearn."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,121 Americans carry the last name Ohearn. That puts it at #11,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ohearn 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.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,822
Census rank
#11,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,722 bearers of the surname Ohearn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ohearn
The surname OHEARN has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó hEachaidh, which means "descendant of Eachaidh." Eachaidh was a popular Irish personal name derived from the word "eachaidh," meaning "horseman" or "horse soldier."
The OHEARN name was originally concentrated in the counties of Sligo and Mayo in the province of Connacht, where the Ó hEachaidh clan held territories. The surname underwent various spelling variations over time, including O'Hegherne, O'Heherne, and O'Hearne, before settling on the modern form of OHEARN.
One of the earliest recorded references to the OHEARN name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention an Eachaidh Ó hEachaidh who was a prominent chieftain in Sligo in the 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of administrative records from the Tudor period in Ireland, included entries for individuals with the OHEARN surname. One such entry from 1588 referred to a pardon granted to Donill O'Hegherne of Sligo.
A notable bearer of the OHEARN name was Patrick O'Hearn (1642-1701), an Irish Franciscan friar and historian who served as the Guardian of the Irish College in Louvain, Belgium. He authored several works on Irish history and theology.
Another significant figure was John O'Hearn (1786-1859), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist from County Mayo. He established a successful shipping company in New York and donated generously to Catholic institutions and charitable causes.
In the literary realm, James O'Hearn (1844-1910) was an Irish-American poet and journalist. Born in County Sligo, he immigrated to the United States and worked for various newspapers, publishing several collections of poetry.
The OHEARN surname has also been associated with place names in Ireland, such as Ballynohern (Baile na hÉarna) in County Westmeath, which translates to "townland of the O'Hearns."
Other notable bearers of the OHEARN name include Michael O'Hearn (1804-1868), an Irish-American politician who served as Mayor of Boston, and John O'Hearn (1891-1975), an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ohearn
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ohearn 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 Ohearn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,494
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 88
- Two or more races3.0% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ohearn
Ohearn 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
#11,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,728
+64 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 573 places
2020
#11,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,722
-6 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,956 | 2,664 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,529 | 2,728 | 0.92 | +64 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 573 places |
| 2020 | #11,124 | 2,722 | 0.91 | -6 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 405 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 Ohearn 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 | #11,529 | #11,124 | 3.5% |
| Count | 2,728 | 2,722 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.91 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ohearn bearers went from 2,728 to 2,722 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 405 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,529 to #11,124.
FAQ
Ohearn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ohearn?
Name Census estimates that about 3,121 living Americans carry the surname Ohearn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,822 residents.
How common is Ohearn?
Ohearn ranks #11,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,722 people with the surname Ohearn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Ohearn.
Has Ohearn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ohearn went from 2,728 recorded bearers to 2,722. That is a decrease of 6 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,529 to #11,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Ohearn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Ohearn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ohearn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Ohearn (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 Ohearn mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó hEachthigheirn," meaning "descendant of the horse lord" or "descendant of Eachthighearn." 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 Ohearn (0.91 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 are called Ohearn?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Ohearn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.