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

Tegan, 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 Tegan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tegan in America

Tegan is the 118185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tegan surname appeared 147 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 Tegan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tegan 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 Tegan

The surname TEGAN originates from Wales, deriving from the Old Welsh name Tegau or Tegai. This name was derived from the Welsh word "teg," meaning "fair" or "beautiful." The earliest recorded instances of the surname TEGAN can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of Wales.

In medieval Welsh records, the name was often spelled as "Tegan," "Teghan," or "Tegyn." It was a relatively common surname in certain regions of Wales, such as Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Glamorgan. Some variations of the name include "Teague" and "Teague," which were more commonly found in Ireland.

One notable historical figure with the surname TEGAN was Sir Rhys Tegan, a 14th-century Welsh nobleman and landowner from Carmarthenshire. He was a prominent figure during the Wars of the Roses and fought alongside the House of Lancaster.

Another early bearer of the name was Ieuan Tegan, a 15th-century Welsh poet and bard from Glamorgan. His poetic works were widely celebrated during his lifetime and contributed to the preservation of Welsh literary traditions.

In the 16th century, the TEGAN surname appeared in various parish records and tax rolls across Wales. One example is Thomas Tegan, a landowner from Pembrokeshire who was mentioned in the Muster Rolls of 1587.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname TEGAN spread beyond Wales as some families migrated to other parts of Britain and even to the American colonies. Notable individuals from this period include William Tegan (1682-1745), a Welsh-born merchant who settled in Virginia, and John Tegan (1712-1789), a Presbyterian minister from Carmarthenshire who emigrated to Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, Edward Tegan (1805-1878) was a prominent Welsh architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in South Wales. His son, John Tegan (1844-1912), followed in his footsteps and became an acclaimed architect as well.

While the surname TEGAN may not be as common today as it once was in Wales, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage and history of the Welsh people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tegan

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

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

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

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