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

Tighe, 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 Tighe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tighe in America

Tighe is the 6824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tighe surname appeared 4,942 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Tighe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tighe 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 Tighe

The surname Tighe is of Irish origin and is believed to have emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic surname "O'Taidhg," which means "descendant of Tadhg." Tadhg is an old Irish personal name that translates to "poet" or "philosopher."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tighe date back to the 13th century when it appeared in various Irish annals and manuscripts. One of the earliest documented references is in the Annals of Ulster, which mentions a "Tighe O'Brien" in the year 1234.

The Tighe surname was particularly prevalent in County Westmeath, Ireland, where it is believed to have originated. The name is also associated with several notable place names in Ireland, such as Tighemon in County Wicklow and Tighery in County Westmeath.

One of the most prominent historical figures bearing the surname Tighe was William Tighe (1766-1816), an Irish landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Wicklow in the Irish House of Commons.

Another notable individual was Mary Tighe (1772-1810), an Irish poet and writer best known for her work "Psyche, or the Legend of Love." Her poetry was highly acclaimed during her lifetime and influenced many Romantic poets of the era.

In the 16th century, there was a Richard Tighe (1537-1597) who served as Archbishop of Armagh and was a prominent figure in the Irish Catholic Church during the Reformation period.

Edward Tighe (1629-1703) was an Irish landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Kilkenny in the Irish Parliament of 1689.

John Tighe (1768-1837) was an Irish botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of Irish flora and fauna. He published several works, including "The Flora of County Kilkenny" and "Statistical Observations Relative to the County of Kilkenny."

While the surname Tighe has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tighe

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

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

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

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