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

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

Popularity of O'Hern in America

O'Hern is the 19997th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Hern surname appeared 1,339 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'Hern.

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

The surname OHERN is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó hEireamhóin," meaning "descendant of Eireamhón." Eireamhón was a mythical figure in Irish folklore, said to be one of the earliest Milesian settlers in Ireland.

The name OHERN is primarily found in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the west of Ireland. It's believed to have emerged as a distinct surname in the 12th or 13th century, as hereditary surnames became more common in Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OHERN can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention an Aodh O'Heireamhoin, who was slain in battle in 1244.

In the 16th century, the OHERN name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of letters patent issued by the English crown. A Richard O'Hearne is recorded as being granted lands in County Galway in 1586.

Over the centuries, the surname has been subject to various spellings, including O'Hearne, O'Heirne, O'Herin, and O'Herne, reflecting the fluidity of Irish names when rendered in English.

Notable individuals with the OHERN surname include:

1. Muircheartach Ó hEireamhóin (fl. 1380s), an Irish poet and historian from County Mayo.
2. Eoghan Ó hEireamhóin (c. 1550-1610), a Franciscan friar and author from County Sligo.
3. Seán Ó hEireamhóin (1725-1807), an Irish-language poet and scribe from County Mayo.
4. Michael O'Hern (1837-1917), an Irish-American politician who served as Mayor of Boston from 1888 to 1890.
5. John O'Hern (1888-1960), an American football player and coach, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1958.

While the name OHERN is most prevalent in Ireland, it has also been carried by Irish emigrants to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia.

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

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

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'Hern 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'Hern 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'Hern 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'Hern, please contact us.

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