2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ohehir
Irish surname transferred from a personal name often derived from O hAidhre meaning "from the man of wisdom."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Ohehir. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ohehir 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Ohehir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohehir, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ohehir
The surname OHEHIR originated from Ireland, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó hEidhir," which translates to "descendant of Eidhir." Eidhir was a personal name that likely meant "prosperous" or "wealthy."
The name OHEHIR was particularly concentrated in County Clare and County Galway, where it was originally associated with families of Gaelic-Irish descent. The prefix "Ó" indicates a patronymic surname, meaning "descendant of" or "son of."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OHEHIR can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. It mentions an individual named "O'Hehir" who was involved in a conflict in County Clare in the year 1599.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, variations of the spelling included "O'Hehir," "O'Heihir," and "O'Haire." These spellings reflect the anglicization of the original Irish name as it became more widely used in English-language records.
Notable individuals with the surname OHEHIR throughout history include John O'Hehir (1838-1922), an Irish-born Catholic priest and author who served as a missionary in Australia. Another notable figure was Michael O'Hehir (1840-1908), an Irish-American journalist and editor who co-founded the San Francisco Examiner newspaper.
In the late 19th century, Patrick O'Hehir (1862-1936) was a prominent Irish-American politician who served as a judge and member of the Massachusetts State Legislature. Additionally, Brendan O'Hehir (1926-2008) was an Irish author and journalist who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.
More recently, John O'Hehir (born 1944) is an American lawyer and author who has written several books on legal and social issues.
While the surname OHEHIR has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to emigration, particularly to the United States, Australia, and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ohehir
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohehir, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ohehir 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 Ohehir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ohehir
Ohehir 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+11 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 220 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-20 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,995 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 220 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,995 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 Ohehir 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 | #122,314 | #141,309 | -15.5% |
| Count | 141 | 121 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ohehir bearers went from 141 to 121 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,995 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #141,309.
FAQ
Ohehir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ohehir?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Ohehir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Ohehir?
Ohehir ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Ohehir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ohehir.
Has Ohehir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ohehir went from 141 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Ohehir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohehir, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Ohehir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ohehir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%), Black (1.7%). 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 Ohehir (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 Ohehir mean?
Irish surname transferred from a personal name often derived from O hAidhre meaning "from the man of wisdom." 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 Ohehir (0.04 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 have the last name Ohehir?
Want to know how common the surname Ohehir is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.