2000
#1,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.10
Uncommon Last name
Curran
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Corráin, meaning "descendant of Corrán," a personal name derived from corrán, meaning "sickle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,456 Americans carry the last name Curran. That puts it at #1,450 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Curran 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 Curran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,484
Census rank
#1,450
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,943 bearers of the surname Curran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1450th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Curran, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Curran
The surname Curran has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name "O'Currain," which means "descendant of the curran." The word "curran" is believed to be derived from the Old Irish word "coir," meaning "blemish" or "speckle."
In its earliest appearances, the name was often spelled as "O'Currain" or "O'Currayn." It is believed that the name originated in County Down, where it was particularly prevalent in the areas around Newry and Kilkeel. Some early records show the name appearing in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Curran was Muircheartach O'Currain, a prominent Irish churchman who lived in the late 12th century and served as the Archbishop of Armagh from 1176 to 1201. Another notable figure was Sir John Curran (c. 1630-1686), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a member of the Irish House of Commons.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of John Philpot Curran (1750-1817), an Irish lawyer, orator, and politician who served as Master of the Rolls in Ireland and was known for his defense of United Irishmen leaders in the 1798 rebellion trials. His contemporary, Sarah Curran (1782-1808), was an Irish diarist and the romantic interest of Robert Emmet, a leader of the 1803 Irish Rebellion.
Another notable figure was John Curran (1758-1818), an Irish-American merchant and politician who served as the second Governor of Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1821. In the field of literature, Amelia Curran (1775-1847) was an Irish novelist and playwright known for her works set in Ireland during the 18th century.
While the surname Curran has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to Irish immigration. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Irish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Curran
Among Census respondents with the surname Curran, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Curran 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 Curran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 22,087
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 841
- Two or more races2.7% · 656
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 200
- Black or African American0.4% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Curran
Curran 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
#1,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,969
+410 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 8.46
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#1,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,943
-1,026 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 8.01
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,317 | 24,559 | 9.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,423 | 24,969 | 8.46 | +410 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #1,450 | 23,943 | 8.01 | -1,026 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 27 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 Curran 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 | #1,423 | #1,450 | -1.9% |
| Count | 24,969 | 23,943 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 8.46 | 8.01 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Curran bearers went from 24,969 to 23,943 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,423 to #1,450.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Curran
FAQ
Curran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Curran?
Name Census estimates that about 27,456 living Americans carry the surname Curran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,484 residents.
How common is Curran?
Curran ranks #1,450 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,943 people with the surname Curran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Curran.
Has Curran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Curran went from 24,969 recorded bearers to 23,943. That is a decrease of 1,026 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,423 to #1,450.
What does the Census say about the background of Curran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Curran, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Curran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (22,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Curran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Curran (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 Curran mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Corráin, meaning "descendant of Corrán," a personal name derived from corrán, meaning "sickle." 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 Curran (8.01 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 are called Curran?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Curran at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.