Find out how popular the last name Shahan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shahan.

Shahan, 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 Shahan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shahan in America

Shahan is the 8704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shahan surname appeared 3,772 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Shahan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shahan 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 Shahan

The surname "SHAHAN" is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish Gaelic word "Seachnán," which means "prosperous" or "fortunate."

During the medieval period, the name was primarily concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of Ireland, particularly in counties such as Wexford, Kilkenny, and Waterford. The earliest known bearer of the name was Seachnán of Cullen, a 6th-century Irish monk and scholar who established a monastic settlement in County Tipperary.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it was recorded as "Shahan." This spelling variation likely emerged as a result of the anglicization of Irish names during the period of English rule in Ireland.

One notable figure bearing the name "SHAHAN" was Michael Shahan (1857-1936), an American prelate who served as the fourth Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York, from 1910 to 1932. Another prominent individual was Thomas Joseph Shahan (1857-1932), an American Catholic priest, historian, and professor at the Catholic University of America.

In the 19th century, the surname "SHAHAN" was found in various parts of Ireland, including counties such as Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. Patrick Shahan (1837-1911), an Irish-born prelate who served as the second Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York, from 1888 to 1911, was a notable bearer of the name during this period.

The name "SHAHAN" also appeared in historical records in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled as "Shehan" or "Sheehan." One example is John Shahan (1839-1909), a Scottish-born prelate who served as the first Bishop of Peoria, Illinois, from 1888 to 1901.

In more recent times, the surname "SHAHAN" has been associated with individuals such as William Shahan (1859-1931), an American Catholic priest and professor at the Catholic University of America, and John Shahan (1920-1999), an American prelate who served as the fourth Bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1966 to 1994.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shahan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shahan.

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 Shahan 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 Shahan 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 Shahan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shahan, please contact us.

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