2000
#16,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,653
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Dorgan
Irish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase "dóir Gheine" meaning "people of the foreigner".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,885 Americans carry the last name Dorgan. That puts it at #16,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 181,833 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dorgan 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 Dorgan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 181,833
Census rank
#16,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,644 bearers of the surname Dorgan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorgan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dorgan
The surname Dorgan originated in Ireland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Dorgán," which means "little freckled person." The name was likely a descriptive nickname given to someone with a freckled complexion.
The Dorgan name has its roots in County Cork, particularly in the areas around Mallow and Fermoy. It is believed that the name may have originated from the Irish word "dorgán," which means "grim" or "surly," and could have been a nickname for someone with a stern or serious demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dorgan name can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, dated 1586, which mentions a "Dermot Dorgan." This suggests that the name was already established in Ireland by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Dorgan name appears in various historical records, including the Petty's Census of Ireland in 1659, which lists several Dorgan families in County Cork. One notable individual from this period was Dermot Dorgan, a landowner in the parish of Kilworth, County Cork, who was mentioned in the Books of Survey and Distribution in 1670.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dorgan name continued to be prevalent in County Cork, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was John Dorgan (1743-1812), a prominent landowner and merchant in Fermoy, County Cork.
Another notable Dorgan was William Dorgan (1833-1905), a Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1892 to 1893. He was born in County Cork and later emigrated to the United States.
In the late 19th century, the Dorgan name also gained prominence in the field of education with Thomas J. Dorgan (1857-1931), an Irish-American educator and author who served as the principal of Boston Latin School from 1898 to 1928.
While the Dorgan surname has its roots in Ireland, particularly in County Cork, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Irish Gaelic word "Dorgán," representing a descriptive nickname for a person with freckles or a stern demeanor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorgan
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorgan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dorgan 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 Dorgan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 1,470
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 69
- Two or more races3.5% · 57
- Black or African American1.8% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dorgan
Dorgan 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
#16,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,688
+35 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 777 places
2020
#16,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,644
-44 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,104 | 1,653 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,881 | 1,688 | 0.57 | +35 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 777 places |
| 2020 | #16,914 | 1,644 | 0.55 | -44 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 33 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 Dorgan 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 | #16,881 | #16,914 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,688 | 1,644 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.55 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dorgan bearers went from 1,688 to 1,644 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,881 to #16,914.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dorgan
FAQ
Dorgan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dorgan?
Name Census estimates that about 1,885 living Americans carry the surname Dorgan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 181,833 residents.
How common is Dorgan?
Dorgan ranks #16,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.55 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 1,644 people with the surname Dorgan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.55 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 Dorgan.
Has Dorgan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dorgan went from 1,688 recorded bearers to 1,644. That is a decrease of 44 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,881 to #16,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Dorgan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorgan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Dorgan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (1,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dorgan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Dorgan (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 Dorgan mean?
Irish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase "dóir Gheine" meaning "people of the foreigner". 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 Dorgan (0.55 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 Dorgan?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Dorgan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.