2000
#54,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Teahan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Tadhg, meaning poet or philosopher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 462 Americans carry the last name Teahan. That puts it at #55,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 741,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teahan 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 Teahan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
462
1 in 741,893
Census rank
#55,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
403
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 403 bearers of the surname Teahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teahan
The surname TEAHAN is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic name "O'Teaghain" or "O'Teachain". This name is derived from the Irish word "teach", meaning "house" or "homestead". The prefix "O" signifies "descendant of" or "grandson of".
The TEAHAN name can be traced back to County Kerry in the southwestern part of Ireland, specifically the Iveragh Peninsula. It is believed that the name originated in this region during the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the TEAHAN surname 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 a "Donnchadh O'Teaghain" who was involved in a conflict in County Kerry in the year 1265.
In the 16th century, the TEAHAN surname appeared in various Irish records and manuscripts, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Rental of the Earl of Desmond. These documents reveal that the TEAHANs were prominent landowners in County Kerry during this period.
Dermot TEAHAN, born in 1550, was a notable figure who served as the Lord of Iveragh in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland.
In the 18th century, a TEAHAN family settled in County Cork, where they became influential landowners and merchants. One notable member was John TEAHAN (1720-1789), a prosperous merchant and ship owner based in the city of Cork.
During the 19th century, many TEAHANs emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to the Great Famine and economic hardships.
Other notable individuals with the TEAHAN surname include:
1. Michael TEAHAN (1860-1939), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate.
2. Eileen TEAHAN (1906-1991), an Australian author and playwright known for her works depicting rural life in Australia.
3. John TEAHAN (1942-2021), an American professional baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers.
4. Sean TEAHAN (born 1967), an Irish hurler who played for the Kerry senior hurling team and won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1987.
5. Siobhan TEAHAN (born 1979), an Irish singer-songwriter and musician known for her folk and traditional Irish music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Teahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Teahan 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 Teahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 20
- Black or African American1.5% · 6
- Two or more races1.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teahan
Teahan 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
#57,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
-1 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,138 places
2020
#55,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 403
+51 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 2,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,643 | 353 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,781 | 352 | 0.12 | -1 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 3,138 places |
| 2020 | #55,082 | 403 | 0.13 | +51 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 2,699 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 Teahan 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 | #57,781 | #55,082 | 4.7% |
| Count | 352 | 403 | 14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teahan bearers went from 352 to 403 (+14.5% change). The surname moved up 2,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,781 to #55,082.
FAQ
Teahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teahan?
Name Census estimates that about 462 living Americans carry the surname Teahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 741,893 residents.
How common is Teahan?
Teahan ranks #55,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 403 people with the surname Teahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Teahan.
Has Teahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teahan went from 352 recorded bearers to 403. That is an increase of 51 (+14.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #57,781 to #55,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Teahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.5%). 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 Teahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (1.5%). 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 Teahan (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 Teahan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Tadhg, meaning poet or philosopher. 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 Teahan (0.13 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 Teahan?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Teahan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.