2000
#1,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.34
Uncommon Last name
Egan
Derived from the Irish surname Mac Aodhagáin, meaning "descendant of Aodhagán," a personal name meaning "little fire."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,572 Americans carry the last name Egan. That puts it at #1,569 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,404 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Egan 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 Egan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,404
Census rank
#1,569
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,300 bearers of the surname Egan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1569th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Egan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Egan
The surname Egan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged as a variant of the Gaelic name Ó hAodhagáin, meaning "descendant of Aodhagán." Aodhagán itself is a diminutive form of the name Aodh, meaning "fire."
The Egan surname is most closely associated with County Offaly and County Tipperary, where it has been present since the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a patronymic name, indicating a family's descent from a particular ancestor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Egan name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention an individual named Conchobhar Ó hAodhagáin, who was the Chief of Ui Fiachrach in County Sligo, in the year 1182.
In the 16th century, the Egan family was prominent in County Offaly, where they held lands in the baronies of Geashill and Philipstown. Notable members from this period include Terence Egan, a member of the Irish Parliament in 1585, and William Egan, who was appointed Sheriff of County Offaly in 1596.
During the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, several Egans played significant roles, including John Egan, who served as a captain in the Confederate Catholic forces, and Rory Egan, a prominent landowner in County Offaly who supported the Catholic cause.
In the 18th century, Patrick Egan (1670-1759) was a renowned historian and genealogist from County Offaly, who compiled a detailed account of the Egan family's history and lineage.
Another notable figure was John Egan (1784-1858), a Catholic priest and educator from County Tipperary, who played a key role in establishing primary schools and promoting education in his local community.
As the Egan name spread throughout Ireland and beyond, it has been associated with various notable individuals, including the American writer and activist Terry Egan (1939-2019), and the Australian rugby league player and coach Kevin Egan (born 1957).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Egan
Among Census respondents with the surname Egan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Egan 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 Egan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 20,518
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 801
- Two or more races2.5% · 562
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 202
- Black or African American0.6% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Egan
Egan 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
#1,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,048
+557 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 7.81
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#1,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,300
-748 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.46
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,458 | 22,491 | 8.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,561 | 23,048 | 7.81 | +557 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #1,569 | 22,300 | 7.46 | -748 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 8 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 Egan 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 | #1,561 | #1,569 | -0.5% |
| Count | 23,048 | 22,300 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.81 | 7.46 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Egan bearers went from 23,048 to 22,300 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,561 to #1,569.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Egan
FAQ
Egan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Egan?
Name Census estimates that about 25,572 living Americans carry the surname Egan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,404 residents.
How common is Egan?
Egan ranks #1,569 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,300 people with the surname Egan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,572), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Egan.
Has Egan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Egan went from 23,048 recorded bearers to 22,300. That is a decrease of 748 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,561 to #1,569.
What does the Census say about the background of Egan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Egan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Egan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (20,518 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Egan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Egan (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 Egan mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Mac Aodhagáin, meaning "descendant of Aodhagán," a personal name meaning "little fire." 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 Egan (7.46 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 have the last name Egan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Egan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.