2000
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Sheahan
Derived from the Irish surname "Ó Séachnasaigh," meaning "descendant of Séachnasach," a personal name meaning "evasive" or "elusive."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,104 Americans carry the last name Sheahan. That puts it at #11,178 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheahan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sheahan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,423
Census rank
#11,178
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,707 bearers of the surname Sheahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11178th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheahan
The surname Sheahan is of Irish origin and is believed to have originated in County Kerry, Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ó Siodhachain," which means "descendant of Siodhachain." Siodhachain itself is a diminutive form of the Irish word "siodh," meaning "fairy" or "fairy mount."
The earliest known records of the Sheahan surname date back to the 16th century. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a member of the Sheahan family is mentioned as having participated in a battle in County Kerry in the year 1580.
In the 17th century, the Sheahan family was prominent in the baronies of Iveragh and Dunkerron in County Kerry. During this period, the name was also spelled as "Sheehan," "Sheehy," and "Sheehan-Shee."
One of the most notable figures in the history of the Sheahan surname was John Sheahan, a Catholic priest and Irish patriot who lived in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and was executed by the British authorities for his involvement in the uprising.
Another prominent figure was Patrick Sheahan (1821-1897), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1879 to 1881.
In the late 19th century, the Sheahan family was also associated with the town of Ballymacelligott in County Kerry, where they were landowners and prominent members of the local community.
Other notable individuals with the Sheahan surname include Michael Sheahan (1841-1918), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the 24th Mayor of Brooklyn, New York, and Denis Sheahan (1857-1934), an Irish-born Australian journalist and author who wrote extensively about Australian history and culture.
Throughout its history, the Sheahan surname has maintained a strong connection to its Irish roots, particularly in County Kerry, where it has been documented for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheahan 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 Sheahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,515
- Two or more races2.9% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheahan
Sheahan 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
#11,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,726
+90 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#11,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,707
-19 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,060 | 2,636 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,537 | 2,726 | 0.92 | +90 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #11,178 | 2,707 | 0.91 | -19 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 359 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 Sheahan 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 | #11,537 | #11,178 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,726 | 2,707 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.91 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheahan bearers went from 2,726 to 2,707 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 359 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,537 to #11,178.
FAQ
Sheahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheahan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,104 living Americans carry the surname Sheahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,423 residents.
How common is Sheahan?
Sheahan ranks #11,178 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 2,707 people with the surname Sheahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,104), 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 Sheahan.
Has Sheahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheahan went from 2,726 recorded bearers to 2,707. That is a decrease of 19 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,537 to #11,178.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Sheahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Sheahan (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 Sheahan mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "Ó Séachnasaigh," meaning "descendant of Séachnasach," a personal name meaning "evasive" or "elusive." 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 Sheahan (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 share the surname Sheahan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.