NameCensus.

UK surname

Geoghegan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic words "Gath Óg" meaning "young fighter" or "young brave".

In the 1881 census there were 183 people recorded with the Geoghegan surname, ranking it #13,596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,315, ranked #4,564, up from #13,596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Corby, Cornwall and Herefordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Geoghegan is 1,355 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 618.6%.

1881 census count

183

Ranked #13,596

Modern count

1,315

2016, ranked #4,564

Peak year

2014

1,355 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Geoghegan had 183 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,315 in 2016, ranked #4,564.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 349 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Geoghegan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Geoghegan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Geoghegan 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 40 #26,118
1861 historical 68 #25,196
1881 historical 183 #13,596
1891 historical 263 #12,261
1901 historical 313 #11,319
1911 historical 349 #10,282
1997 modern 1,140 #4,921
1998 modern 1,190 #4,918
1999 modern 1,222 #4,845
2000 modern 1,206 #4,885
2001 modern 1,213 #4,760
2002 modern 1,228 #4,804
2003 modern 1,218 #4,748
2004 modern 1,225 #4,723
2005 modern 1,195 #4,769
2006 modern 1,233 #4,668
2007 modern 1,259 #4,622
2008 modern 1,261 #4,633
2009 modern 1,281 #4,675
2010 modern 1,330 #4,600
2011 modern 1,312 #4,602
2012 modern 1,303 #4,565
2013 modern 1,337 #4,536
2014 modern 1,355 #4,511
2015 modern 1,335 #4,522
2016 modern 1,315 #4,564

Geography

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Where Geoghegans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, Edinburgh, Prescot and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Corby, Cornwall and Herefordshire. 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 Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington Staffordshire
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Prescot Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Corby 004 Corby
2 Cornwall 033 Cornwall
3 Herefordshire 005 Herefordshire, County of
4 Corby 002 Corby
5 Corby 006 Corby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Geoghegan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Geoghegan

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Geoghegan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Geoghegan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Geoghegan 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

Geoghegan 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

Geoghegan falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Geoghegan 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 Geoghegan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Geoghegan

The surname Geoghegan originated from Ireland and is a anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Geoghan". It is believed to have derived from the Irish words "giolla" meaning "servant" and "Eochaidh", which was an ancient masculine name meaning "horseman". The name can be traced back to the 10th century in the southern region of Ireland known as Leinster.

The Geoghegan clan was a prominent Irish family who held lands and territories in the counties of Westmeath and Meath. They were part of the Gaelic nobility and were known as the Lords of Moycashel and Kinaliah. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name was in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.

In the 12th century, Richard Geoghegan was a notable figure who served as the Bishop of Leighlin from 1162 to 1173. Another early record of the name can be found in the Red Book of the Exchequer, a medieval administrative document from England, which mentions a Willelmus Geoghegan in 1212.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several members of the Geoghegan family played significant roles in Irish history. Sir Richard Geoghegan (1561-1627) was a prominent leader during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, while Conall Geoghegan (1590-1654) was a notable Irish historian and author who wrote about the history of the Geoghegan clan.

In more recent times, Thomas Geoghegan (1805-1853) was an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Thomas Geoghegan (1916-2004) was an Irish author and playwright known for his works on Irish culture and history.

The surname Geoghegan has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Geoghegan's Castle in County Westmeath, which was the ancestral home of the clan. The name has also been spelled in different variations over time, including O'Geoghan, O'Geoghegan, and Gaughan.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Geoghegan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Geoghegan 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 74 Geoghegans recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.42x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 74 3.42x
Middlesex 32 1.75x
Yorkshire 16 0.89x
Surrey 15 1.69x
Lanarkshire 14 2.37x
Midlothian 11 4.50x
Argyllshire 7 13.79x
Derbyshire 6 2.10x
Royal Navy 3 13.80x
Hampshire 2 0.53x
Somerset 2 0.68x
Devon 1 0.26x
Kent 1 0.16x
Monmouthshire 1 0.76x
Warwickshire 1 0.22x

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 24 Geoghegans recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.26x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 24 18.26x
Everton 13 18.84x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 11.19x
Hulme 9 19.92x
Westminster St James 9 48.00x
Bradford 8 18.28x
Lambeth 8 5.03x
Dunoon Kilmun 7 176.77x
Govan 7 4.80x
Horton In Bradford 7 24.80x
Walton On Hill 7 59.68x
Barony 6 4.02x
Derby St Peter 6 65.93x
Parr 6 77.52x
Southwark St Olave 6 431.65x
St Pancras London 6 4.09x
Islington London 5 2.83x
Hampstead London 3 10.56x
Oldham 3 4.29x
Royal Navy 3 16.15x
St Martin In Fields 3 27.47x
Bootle Cum Linacre 2 11.63x
Eccleston In Prescot 2 18.40x
Farnborough 2 50.89x
Kirkdale 2 5.49x
Lyncombe Widcombe 2 26.01x
Mile End Old Town London 2 5.15x
Ormskirk 2 48.31x
Barnstaple 1 16.78x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.26x
Chelsea London 1 1.82x
Edgbaston 1 7.01x
Hougham 1 27.03x
Lanark 1 21.05x
Little Bolton 1 3.59x
Manchester 1 1.03x
North Meols 1 4.72x
Otley 1 22.78x
St Marylebone London 1 1.03x
Streatham 1 7.39x
Upper Llanvrechva 1 48.78x
Warrington 1 3.90x
Westminster St Margaret 1 11.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Catherine 5
Elizabeth 5
Margaret 5
Annie 4
Ann 3
Bridget 3
Eliza 3
Caroline 2
Dora 2
Kate 2
Rose 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Bessie 1
Dorothea 1
Elizab. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Kathleen 1
Maria 1
Wina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 16
James 9
William 8
Joseph 5
Michael 4
Patrick 4
Richard 4
Thomas 4
Edward 3
Henry 3
Jas. 3
Charles 2
Christopher 2
David 2
Dennis 2
Francis 2
Peter 2
Chas.B. 1
Chas.W. 1
Frederic 1
G.F. 1
Gearge 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Lawrence 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Nicholas 1
Nina 1
Owen 1
Thos. 1
Tom.B. 1

FAQ

Geoghegan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Geoghegan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 183 people were recorded with the Geoghegan surname. That placed it at #13,596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Geoghegan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,315 in 2016. That gives Geoghegan a modern rank of #4,564.

What does the Geoghegan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic words "Gath Óg" meaning "young fighter" or "young brave".

What does the Geoghegan map show?

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