NameCensus.

UK surname

Eagan

Derived from the Irish surname Mac Aodhagáin, meaning "descendant of Aodhagán," a personal name meaning "little fire."

In the 1881 census there were 347 people recorded with the Eagan surname, ranking it #8,811 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 106, ranked #29,927, down from #8,811 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Dunstan Stepney and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Tyneside, Bassetlaw and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Eagan is 347 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 69.5%.

1881 census count

347

Ranked #8,811

Modern count

106

2016, ranked #29,927

Peak year

1881

347 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Eagan had 347 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,811 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016, ranked #29,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 347 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Eagan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Eagan surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Eagan 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 294 #7,758
1861 historical 330 #7,721
1881 historical 347 #8,811
1891 historical 158 #17,705
1901 historical 125 #20,061
1911 historical 98 #22,959
1997 modern 131 #22,927
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 132 #23,602
2000 modern 120 #24,950
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 127 #24,267
2003 modern 123 #24,497
2004 modern 116 #25,580
2005 modern 109 #26,583
2006 modern 102 #27,926
2007 modern 103 #28,187
2008 modern 112 #27,061
2009 modern 116 #27,062
2010 modern 119 #27,250
2011 modern 111 #28,294
2012 modern 112 #28,174
2013 modern 111 #28,856
2014 modern 108 #29,658
2015 modern 101 #30,816
2016 modern 106 #29,927

Geography

Back to top

Where Eagans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Dunstan Stepney, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Dean. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Tyneside, Bassetlaw, Wigan, Newcastle upon Tyne and Wealden. 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 London parishes London 3
2 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Dean Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Tyneside 019 North Tyneside
2 Bassetlaw 001 Bassetlaw
3 Wigan 030 Wigan
4 Newcastle upon Tyne 020 Newcastle upon Tyne
5 Wealden 021 Wealden

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Eagan

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Eagan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Eagan, 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 Eagan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Eagan 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Eagan is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Eagan is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Eagan falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Eagan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Eagan

The surname Eagan originated in Ireland and is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'hAodhagain". It is believed to have derived from the personal name "Aodh", which means "fire" in Irish, combined with the diminutive suffix "agan".

The earliest recorded instances of the name Eagan can be found in various Irish annals and records dating back to the 16th century. One notable mention is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century, where the name is spelled as "O'hAodhagain".

The Eagan surname was predominantly found in the counties of Mayo and Sligo in the west of Ireland. The name is also associated with the Irish clans of O'Shaughnessy and O'Heyne, which were prominent in the region.

In the 17th century, during the English conquest of Ireland, many Irish families anglicized their surnames to sound more English. This led to the emergence of various spellings of the name, such as Egan, Eagan, Eaghan, and Eghan.

Notable individuals with the surname Eagan throughout history include:

1. Maurice Eagan (1773-1828), an Irish-born American merchant and politician who served as the 13th Mayor of New York City from 1805 to 1807.

2. John Eagan (1796-1888), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and politician who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan.

3. Charles Patrick Eagan (1841-1919), an American civil engineer and soldier who served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.

4. Eugene Eagan (1879-1954), an American actor and film director active during the silent film era of Hollywood.

5. Kathleen Eagan (1908-1968), an American stage and film actress known for her roles in several Broadway productions and Hollywood movies in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Eagan surname has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Ireland, such as Eaganville, a small village in County Mayo.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Eagan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Eagan 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 176 Eagans recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.38x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 176 4.38x
Yorkshire 39 1.16x
Cheshire 18 2.41x
Middlesex 15 0.44x
Surrey 15 0.91x
Lanarkshire 13 1.19x
Warwickshire 11 1.29x
Durham 7 0.70x
Northumberland 7 1.39x
Renfrewshire 7 2.67x
Derbyshire 6 1.13x
Kent 5 0.43x
Angus 4 1.28x
Denbighshire 4 3.13x
Devon 3 0.43x
West Lothian 3 5.89x
Essex 2 0.30x
Hampshire 2 0.29x
Lincolnshire 2 0.37x
Perthshire 2 1.32x
Staffordshire 2 0.18x
Channel Islands 1 1.00x
Glamorgan 1 0.17x
Norfolk 1 0.19x
Somerset 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 34 Eagans recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.94x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 34 13.94x
Heaton Norris 19 83.11x
Manchester 19 10.52x
Birmingham 11 3.87x
Salford 10 8.47x
Birkenhead 9 15.11x
Blackburn 9 8.42x
Dewsbury 9 26.16x
Sculcoates 9 16.92x
Battersea 8 6.42x
Dalziel 8 67.91x
Spotland 8 17.92x
Camberwell 7 3.24x
Newchurch 7 21.30x
Sheffield 7 6.56x
Toxteth Park 7 5.15x
West Derby 7 5.96x
Bow London 6 13.92x
Derby St Michael 6 540.54x
East Greenock 6 24.22x
Everton 6 4.69x
Over Darwen 6 18.70x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 7.84x
Horton In Bradford 5 9.55x
Preston 5 4.65x
Stockport 5 13.00x
Stockton On Tees 5 10.30x
Ashton Under Lyne 4 4.56x
Byker 4 16.07x
Govan 4 1.48x
Lydiate 4 320.00x
Parr 4 27.84x
Ruabon 4 22.75x
Dundee 3 2.56x
Hougham 3 43.67x
Hulme 3 3.58x
Longbenton 3 14.06x
Oldham 3 2.31x
Stoke Damerel 3 6.08x
Widnes 3 10.36x
Batley 2 6.27x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.36x
Bradford 2 2.46x
Gosberton 2 83.33x
Leeds 2 1.06x
Linlithgow 2 30.58x
Macclesfield 2 6.02x
Pendleton In Salford 2 4.18x
Perth Middle Church 2 35.03x
Prescot 2 27.55x
Ryhope 2 28.61x
Westminster St John 2 4.85x
Woolwich 2 4.69x
Alverstoke 1 3.98x
Bathgate 1 9.03x
Birtle Cum Bamford 1 38.17x
Brewood 1 30.40x
Brinsworth 1 64.52x
Cardiff St Mary 1 3.08x
Downham Market 1 27.93x
Glasgow 1 0.51x
Haslingden 1 6.01x
Kirkdale 1 1.48x
Layton With Warbreck 1 6.78x
Leyton 1 8.69x
Leyton Low 1 7.36x
Liff Benvie 1 2.10x
Lowton 1 36.63x
Lymm 1 18.42x
Newton 1 3.23x
Paddington London 1 0.80x
Portsea 1 0.74x
St Clement Danes London 1 14.29x
St Marylebone London 1 0.55x
St Michaelinthe Vale 1 27.93x
Tranmere 1 3.64x
Walton On Hill 1 4.60x
West Greenock 1 2.12x
York St Denis In 1 68.03x
York St Martin Mklgt W 1 131.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 42
Catherine 14
Margaret 14
Ann 11
Ellen 8
Sarah 8
Elizabeth 7
Bridget 6
Annie 5
Hannah 4
Anne 3
Emma 3
Harriett 3
Jane 3
Kate 3
Alice 2
Harriet 2
Julia 2
Maria 2
May 2
Agnes 1
Arabella 1
Caroline 1
Cate 1
Cath. 1
Catherline 1
Clara 1
Daniel 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Henrietta 1
Honoria 1
Isabella 1
Matilda 1
Patience 1
Robina 1
Sabina 1
Winfort 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
James 27
Michael 13
Thomas 10
Patrick 9
William 7
Peter 6
Edward 4
George 4
Daniel 3
Joseph 3
Martin 3
Micheal 3
Thos. 3
Timothy 3
Andrew 2
Charles 2
Dennis 2
Jno. 2
Luke 2
Alexander 1
Archie 1
Arthur 1
Billy 1
Cornelius 1
Felix 1
Jas. 1
M. 1
Mark 1
Matthew 1
Michal 1
Morris 1
Owen 1
Palk 1
Richard 1
Thorpe 1

FAQ

Eagan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Eagan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 347 people were recorded with the Eagan surname. That placed it at #8,811 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Eagan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016. That gives Eagan a modern rank of #29,927.

What does the Eagan surname mean?

Derived from the Irish surname Mac Aodhagáin, meaning "descendant of Aodhagán," a personal name meaning "little fire."

What does the Eagan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Eagan 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.