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

Tiernan, 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 Tiernan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tiernan in America

Tiernan is the 12204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tiernan surname appeared 2,552 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 Tiernan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tiernan 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 Tiernan

The surname Tiernan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Tighearnaigh, which means "descendant of Tighearnaigh." The name Tighearnaigh itself is derived from the Irish word "tigharna," meaning "lord" or "master."

The Tiernans were a prominent family in County Roscommon, located in the western province of Connacht. They were part of the Gaelic nobility and held significant power and influence in the region. The name is first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tiernan was Donnchadh Ó Tighearnaigh, who was the Bishop of Elphin (a town in County Roscommon) in the late 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 1186.

Another notable figure was Aodh Ó Tighearnaigh, who was the Lord of Tir-Oilill (a territory in County Roscommon) in the 14th century. He is recorded as having played a significant role in the ongoing conflicts between the Irish clans and the Anglo-Norman settlers in Ireland during that time.

In the 16th century, the Tiernans were involved in the Irish Confederate Wars, a series of conflicts between the Irish Catholic nobility and the English Crown. Tadhg Ó Tighearnaigh, who lived around 1580, was a prominent leader in these wars and is mentioned in contemporary accounts.

The name Tiernan has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballintiernan (Irish: Baile an Tighearnaigh, meaning "town of the Tiernan") and Killadiernan (Irish: Cill an Tighearnaigh, meaning "church of the Tiernan").

Other notable individuals with the surname Tiernan include Donal Tiernan (1783-1862), an Irish-born Australian Catholic priest and educator, and Francis Tiernan (1854-1936), an Irish-American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of the steam engine.

While the surname Tiernan has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval Gaelic nobility of County Roscommon, where the name first emerged and gained prominence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tiernan

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

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

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

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