NameCensus.

UK surname

Finnegan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fionnagáin," meaning "descendant of Fionnagán," a personal name meaning "fair-haired."

In the 1881 census there were 209 people recorded with the Finnegan surname, ranking it #12,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,384, ranked #2,754, up from #12,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bebbington and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Test Valley, Kettering and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Finnegan is 2,478 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1040.7%.

1881 census count

209

Ranked #12,475

Modern count

2,384

2016, ranked #2,754

Peak year

2010

2,478 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Finnegan had 209 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,384 in 2016, ranked #2,754.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 278 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Finnegan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Finnegan surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Finnegan 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 56 #23,235
1861 historical 122 #18,036
1881 historical 209 #12,475
1891 historical 172 #16,663
1901 historical 252 #13,068
1911 historical 278 #12,038
1997 modern 2,119 #2,914
1998 modern 2,200 #2,918
1999 modern 2,205 #2,938
2000 modern 2,228 #2,893
2001 modern 2,180 #2,887
2002 modern 2,269 #2,844
2003 modern 2,210 #2,851
2004 modern 2,203 #2,861
2005 modern 2,214 #2,815
2006 modern 2,254 #2,768
2007 modern 2,304 #2,745
2008 modern 2,320 #2,745
2009 modern 2,396 #2,735
2010 modern 2,478 #2,722
2011 modern 2,467 #2,705
2012 modern 2,351 #2,761
2013 modern 2,419 #2,740
2014 modern 2,464 #2,716
2015 modern 2,418 #2,732
2016 modern 2,384 #2,754

Geography

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Where Finnegans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bebbington, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bidstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Test Valley, Kettering, Knowsley, Middlesbrough and Birmingham. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Bebbington Cheshire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Bidstone Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Test Valley 015 Test Valley
2 Kettering 002 Kettering
3 Knowsley 005 Knowsley
4 Middlesbrough 010 Middlesbrough
5 Birmingham 064 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Finnegan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Finnegan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Finnegan, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Finnegan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Finnegan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Finnegan 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

Finnegan is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Finnegan falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Finnegan 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Finnegan

The surname Finnegan is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name Fionnagán, which means "fair-born" or "white offspring." It is believed to have originated in County Laois, Ireland, during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Finnegan Mac Gilla Pátraic in the year 1164. This suggests that the name was well-established in Ireland by the 12th century.

The name Finnegan has also been linked to several place names in Ireland, such as Finnegan's Well in County Laois and Finnegan's Bridge in County Kildare. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Finnegan who lived or owned property in those areas.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named John Finnegan (1640-1711) was a prominent Irish Catholic leader and activist who fought for the rights of Catholics during the period of the Penal Laws in Ireland.

Another notable individual with the surname Finnegan was Robert Finnegan (1840-1913), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois from 1897 to 1901.

In literature, the surname Finnegan is featured in James Joyce's novel "Finnegans Wake," which is a play on the name and explores the themes of dreams, language, and the cyclical nature of human existence.

Other notable individuals with the surname Finnegan include:

1. John Finnegan (1784-1854), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the first Catholic mayor of Fredericksburg, Virginia. 2. Thomas Finnegan (1925-1976), an American labor leader and president of the International Union of Operating Engineers from 1963 to 1976. 3. Mary Finnegan (1930-2017), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and television shows. 4. John Finnegan (1926-2009), an Irish writer and broadcaster who served as the head of television drama for RTÉ, the national public service media of Ireland. 5. William Finnegan (born 1952), an American writer and journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 2016 for his memoir "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Finnegan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Finnegan 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 98 Finnegans recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.11x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 98 4.11x
Lanarkshire 18 2.77x
Northumberland 10 3.34x
Angus 9 4.83x
Renfrewshire 9 5.78x
Cheshire 8 1.80x
Dunbartonshire 7 12.96x
Middlesex 7 0.35x
Durham 6 1.00x
Essex 6 1.51x
Stirlingshire 6 8.10x
Norfolk 4 1.29x
Warwickshire 4 0.79x
Kent 3 0.44x
Midlothian 3 1.11x
Yorkshire 3 0.15x
Cumberland 1 0.58x
Derbyshire 1 0.32x
Glamorgan 1 0.29x
Hampshire 1 0.24x
Northamptonshire 1 0.53x

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 43 Finnegans recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.69x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 43 29.69x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 10 254.45x
Liff Benvie 9 31.85x
Ashton Under Lyne 8 15.35x
Blackburn 8 12.61x
Govan 8 4.98x
Parr 8 93.79x
Cardross 7 108.02x
East Greenock 7 47.62x
Barrow In Furness 5 15.42x
Crompton 5 73.64x
Gorbals 5 129.53x
Stirling 5 53.53x
West Ham 5 5.71x
Aston 4 2.87x
Birkenhead 4 11.31x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 21.13x
Everton 4 5.26x
Heigham 4 24.13x
Manchester 4 3.73x
Old Monkland 4 15.51x
Edinburgh Greenside 3 84.27x
Greenwich 3 9.38x
Garston 2 28.41x
Hackney London 2 1.78x
Mearns 2 73.26x
Sunderland 2 18.94x
Tranmere 2 12.27x
West Derby 2 2.87x
Westminster St John 2 8.17x
Aldershot 1 7.25x
Barnsley 1 4.87x
Benfieldside 1 25.45x
Bothwell 1 5.68x
Bow London 1 3.91x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.64x
Coundon 1 41.32x
Harton 1 42.37x
Leftwich 1 50.76x
Little Warley 1 181.82x
Middlesbrough 1 3.86x
Normanton 1 37.59x
Northampton St Giles 1 13.89x
Oldham 1 1.30x
Over Whitley 1 476.19x
Polmont 1 36.50x
Ratcliffe London 1 9.01x
Reddish 1 30.49x
Rufford 1 161.29x
Scarborough 1 5.53x
St Mary Within 1 46.30x
Stockton On Tees 1 3.47x
Swansea Town 1 3.49x
Toxteth Park 1 1.24x
Westminster St James 1 4.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Ann 5
Catherine 5
Ellen 5
Margaret 5
Elizabeth 4
Alice 3
Bridget 3
Jane 3
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Florence 2
Teresa 2
Adelaide 1
Caroline 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Kathlene 1
Maria 1
Nancy 1
Polly 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 15
John 13
Thomas 9
Patrick 6
William 6
Hugh 3
Michael 3
Peter 3
Edward 2
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Barnard 1
Bryan 1
Christr. 1
Dominick 1
Francis 1
Henry 1
Jas. 1
Joseph 1
Lawrence 1
Lewis 1
Martin 1
Owen 1
Pat. 1
Phillip 1
R. 1
Simon 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Finnegan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Finnegan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 209 people were recorded with the Finnegan surname. That placed it at #12,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Finnegan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,384 in 2016. That gives Finnegan a modern rank of #2,754.

What does the Finnegan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fionnagáin," meaning "descendant of Fionnagán," a personal name meaning "fair-haired."

What does the Finnegan map show?

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