NameCensus.

UK surname

Dugan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhagáin," meaning "descendant of Dubhagán" (a personal name meaning "dark" or "black").

In the 1881 census there were 575 people recorded with the Dugan surname, ranking it #6,056 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 517, ranked #9,761, down from #6,056 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Upton with Chalvey, Manchester and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Portsmouth, Roslin and Bilston and Havant.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dugan is 575 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 10.1%.

1881 census count

575

Ranked #6,056

Modern count

517

2016, ranked #9,761

Peak year

1881

575 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dugan had 575 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,056 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 517 in 2016, ranked #9,761.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 575 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Dugan surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dugan surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dugan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dugan over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 433 #5,664
1861 historical 432 #5,954
1881 historical 575 #6,056
1891 historical 456 #7,996
1901 historical 470 #8,432
1911 historical 370 #9,852
1997 modern 520 #9,043
1998 modern 541 #9,044
1999 modern 529 #9,245
2000 modern 521 #9,325
2001 modern 507 #9,364
2002 modern 527 #9,285
2003 modern 509 #9,365
2004 modern 508 #9,404
2005 modern 511 #9,297
2006 modern 508 #9,369
2007 modern 506 #9,482
2008 modern 528 #9,248
2009 modern 531 #9,417
2010 modern 538 #9,523
2011 modern 528 #9,572
2012 modern 515 #9,663
2013 modern 529 #9,619
2014 modern 525 #9,745
2015 modern 518 #9,761
2016 modern 517 #9,761

Geography

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Where Dugans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Upton with Chalvey, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Liverpool and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Portsmouth, Roslin and Bilston and Havant. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Upton with Chalvey Buckinghamshire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Portsmouth 014 Portsmouth
2 Roslin and Bilston Midlothian
3 Portsmouth 004 Portsmouth
4 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
5 Havant 011 Havant

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dugan

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dugan surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dugan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dugan, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Dugan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Dugan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dugan is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dugan is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dugan falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dugan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dugan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dugan

The surname Dugan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Dubhagain, which means "descendant of the black one" or "descendant of the dark-complexioned one". The name is derived from the Irish word "dubh", meaning black or dark, and the diminutive suffix "agan".

The Dugans were originally a sept or clan located in County Tyrone, in the northern part of Ireland. They were among the principal families of the region and held significant influence and power in the area. The name can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards, including the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dugan appears in the 14th century, with the mention of a Muircheartach O'Dubhagain, who was a renowned poet and historian in Ulster. He is known for his work, the "Topographical Poem", which provides a detailed description of Ireland at the time.

In the 16th century, the Dugans were involved in the Nine Years' War (1593-1603), a major conflict between the Irish chieftains and the English forces in Ireland. Niall O'Dugan, a member of the clan, fought alongside the Irish rebels during this time.

Another notable figure in history bearing the name Dugan was Patrick Dugan, a Catholic priest and Irish patriot who lived in the late 18th century. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and served as a chaplain to the United Irishmen.

As the name spread beyond Ireland, it found its way to various parts of the world, including Scotland, England, and eventually, North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was in the 17th century, with the arrival of James Dugan, who settled in Maryland in 1673.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dugan include Michael Dugan (1828-1903), an American politician and Union Army officer during the American Civil War, and Michael Dugan (1937-2023), a former United States Air Force officer who served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs during the Gulf War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dugan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dugan surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 118 Dugans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.75x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 118 1.75x
Hampshire 93 7.98x
Lanarkshire 38 2.07x
Middlesex 37 0.65x
Yorkshire 37 0.66x
Durham 27 1.60x
Cheshire 22 1.75x
Renfrewshire 18 4.08x
Warwickshire 12 0.84x
Worcestershire 11 1.48x
Ayrshire 10 2.35x
Derbyshire 10 1.12x
Staffordshire 10 0.52x
Stirlingshire 10 4.77x
Angus 9 1.71x
Gloucestershire 9 0.81x
Kent 9 0.46x
Surrey 9 0.32x
Dunbartonshire 8 5.23x
Essex 8 0.71x
Flintshire 8 5.23x
Berkshire 7 1.64x
Wigtownshire 7 9.27x
Aberdeenshire 6 1.14x
Argyllshire 5 3.16x
Isle of Man 5 4.73x
Leicestershire 5 0.79x
Midlothian 4 0.53x
Monmouthshire 4 0.97x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.87x
Northamptonshire 3 0.56x
West Lothian 3 3.50x
Cornwall 2 0.31x
Cumberland 2 0.41x
Devon 2 0.17x
Northumberland 2 0.24x
Royal Navy 2 2.95x
Channel Islands 1 0.59x
East Lothian 1 1.33x
Fife 1 0.30x
Glamorgan 1 0.10x
Herefordshire 1 0.43x
Radnorshire 1 2.18x
Roxburghshire 1 0.97x
Somerset 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 82 Dugans recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.89x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 82 35.89x
Widnes 27 55.48x
Liverpool 14 3.42x
Govan 11 2.42x
Farnworth 10 24.73x
Leeds 10 3.14x
Birmingham 9 1.88x
Middle Greenock 9 74.81x
St Marylebone London 9 2.96x
Stockton On Tees 9 11.03x
Brightside Bierlow 8 7.24x
Clitheroe 8 40.28x
Holywell 8 41.69x
Salford 8 4.03x
Southwark St John 8 46.00x
West Ham 8 3.23x
Woolwich 8 11.16x
Barony 7 1.50x
Bothwell 7 14.03x
Bristol St Michael 7 73.22x
Chorlton On Medlock 7 6.53x
Dukinfield 7 12.07x
Kings Norton 7 10.51x
Strathblane 7 267.18x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 6 6.09x
Birkenhead 6 6.00x
Bradford 6 4.40x
Dundee 6 3.05x
Everton 6 2.79x
Gorton 6 9.46x
Hamilton 6 11.70x
New Windsor 6 41.81x
Paisley High Church 6 17.10x
St Pancras London 6 1.31x
Stranraer 6 86.83x
Tamworth 6 58.48x
West Rainton 6 114.50x
Alverstoke 5 11.85x
Chelsea London 5 2.92x
Church Gresley 5 35.29x
Horton In Bradford 5 5.68x
Linton 5 213.68x
Lonan 5 78.13x
Preston 5 2.77x
Row 5 25.29x
Bedwellty 4 5.51x
Dalry 4 19.97x
Largs 4 39.88x
South Leith 4 4.67x
Brandon Byshottles 3 14.15x
Campsie 3 26.06x
Daventry 3 39.63x
Dodderhill 3 94.64x
Eton 3 38.51x
Fulham London 3 3.64x
Hartlepool 3 12.47x
Hindley 3 10.43x
Hulme 3 2.13x
Leicester Newarke 3 91.19x
Liff Benvie 3 3.75x
Maryhill 3 8.33x
New Kilpatrick 3 20.63x
Ormskirk 3 23.24x
Portsmouth 3 11.18x
Westoe 3 3.13x
Wortley In Bramley 3 6.72x
Boness 2 16.93x
Dalziel 2 10.11x
Dunoon Kilmun 2 16.19x
Kilfinan 2 47.39x
Monkwearmouth 2 12.35x
Northwich 2 100.00x
Prescot 2 16.39x
Royal Navy 2 3.45x
St Gluvias Penryn 2 38.76x
Tonge 2 14.12x
Wallsend 2 7.45x
Westminster St James 2 3.42x
Wetheral 2 30.86x
Wigan 2 2.12x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dugan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 52
Ellen 14
Margaret 11
Catherine 9
Elizabeth 9
Jane 8
Sarah 8
Ann 7
Kate 6
Annie 5
Bridget 5
Eliza 5
Emily 5
Alice 4
Emma 3
Mabel 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Frances 2
Isabella 2
Jessie 2
Johanna 2
Julia 2
Louise 2
Margret 2
Marther 2
Selina 2
Winifred 2
Agness 1
Amelia 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Cath. 1
Charlotte 1
Eliz. 1
Eliz.Mary 1
Ester 1
Ethel 1
Ethie 1
Eva 1
Eveline 1
Helena 1
Janie 1
Johana 1
Laura 1
Lavina 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dugan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 36
Thomas 27
James 22
William 17
Patrick 15
George 13
Michael 9
Alfred 6
Edward 6
Henry 5
Joseph 5
Martin 5
Andrew 4
Charles 4
Daniel 4
Arthur 3
Foster 3
Robert 3
Timothy 3
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Geo. 2
Jas. 2
Jeremiah 2
Jno. 2
Shamus 2
Thos. 2
Bartley 1
Bernard 1
Dennis 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Ivo 1
J. 1
Jhon 1
Jno.G. 1
Lima 1
Mike 1
Nicholas 1
Obadiah 1
Pat 1
Patk. 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Reginald 1
Rowland 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Dugan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dugan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 575 people were recorded with the Dugan surname. That placed it at #6,056 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dugan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 517 in 2016. That gives Dugan a modern rank of #9,761.

What does the Dugan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhagáin," meaning "descendant of Dubhagán" (a personal name meaning "dark" or "black").

What does the Dugan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dugan bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.