2000
#2,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.40
Uncommon Last name
Gannon
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mag Fhionnáin," meaning "descendant of Fionnán," a personal name meaning "fair" or "white."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,493 Americans carry the last name Gannon. That puts it at #2,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,782 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gannon 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 Gannon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,782
Census rank
#2,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,383 bearers of the surname Gannon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gannon
The surname Gannon is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic personal name "Gannad," meaning "fair offspring" or "fair-haired." Its roots can be traced back to County Westmeath, Ireland, where it first emerged in the 11th century.
The name is believed to have evolved from the Old Irish word "gann," meaning "rare" or "scarce," which was often used as a term of endearment. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Irish manuscripts, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which date back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Gannon O'Flaherty, a 13th-century Irish cleric and scholar from County Galway. He was renowned for his theological works and his efforts to preserve Irish language and culture.
Another notable figure was Sir John Gannon, an Irish soldier and statesman who lived in the 16th century. He served as Lord Deputy of Ireland and played a crucial role in the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
In the 17th century, the name Gannon was found in various records, including the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663-1665, which listed heads of households for tax purposes. One such entry was for a Patrick Gannon in County Westmeath.
During the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the United States as Irish immigrants settled in various regions. One notable figure was Reverend Stephen Gannon, an Irish-born Catholic priest who founded St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City in 1815.
In the 19th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including Michael Joseph Gannon (1800-1859), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who founded St. Louis University in Missouri.
Throughout its history, the surname Gannon has been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Gannons Cross in County Westmeath and Gannon's Grove in County Galway. These places likely derived their names from early bearers of the surname who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gannon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gannon 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 Gannon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 13,228
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 506
- Two or more races2.8% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 139
- Black or African American0.6% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gannon
Gannon 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
#2,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,981
+416 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.08
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#2,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,383
-598 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 4.81
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,286 | 14,565 | 5.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,418 | 14,981 | 5.08 | +416 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #2,451 | 14,383 | 4.81 | -598 bearers (-4.0%) | 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 Gannon 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 | #2,418 | #2,451 | -1.4% |
| Count | 14,981 | 14,383 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.08 | 4.81 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gannon bearers went from 14,981 to 14,383 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,418 to #2,451.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gannon
FAQ
Gannon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gannon?
Name Census estimates that about 16,493 living Americans carry the surname Gannon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,782 residents.
How common is Gannon?
Gannon ranks #2,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,383 people with the surname Gannon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Gannon.
Has Gannon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gannon went from 14,981 recorded bearers to 14,383. That is a decrease of 598 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,418 to #2,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Gannon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Gannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (13,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gannon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Gannon (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 Gannon mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mag Fhionnáin," meaning "descendant of Fionnán," a personal name meaning "fair" or "white." 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 Gannon (4.81 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 Gannon?
Find out how many people are called Gannon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.