NameCensus.

UK surname

Ohanlon

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hAnnluain, meaning "descendant of Annluain" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

In the 1881 census there were 158 people recorded with the Ohanlon surname, ranking it #14,989 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,079, ranked #3,111, up from #14,989 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Denny, Liverpool and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ08, Kintyre Trail and Fankerton, Stoneywood and Denny Town.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ohanlon is 2,151 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1215.8%.

1881 census count

158

Ranked #14,989

Modern count

2,079

2016, ranked #3,111

Peak year

2010

2,151 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ohanlon had 158 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,989 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,079 in 2016, ranked #3,111.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 348 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Ohanlon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ohanlon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ohanlon 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 35 #27,037
1861 historical 50 #27,636
1881 historical 158 #14,989
1891 historical 234 #13,352
1901 historical 348 #10,484
1911 historical 258 #12,614
1997 modern 1,923 #3,144
1998 modern 1,996 #3,162
1999 modern 2,027 #3,148
2000 modern 2,016 #3,148
2001 modern 1,962 #3,157
2002 modern 2,023 #3,142
2003 modern 1,962 #3,167
2004 modern 1,970 #3,158
2005 modern 1,959 #3,144
2006 modern 1,971 #3,136
2007 modern 1,983 #3,147
2008 modern 2,016 #3,132
2009 modern 2,055 #3,143
2010 modern 2,151 #3,076
2011 modern 2,123 #3,074
2012 modern 2,067 #3,102
2013 modern 2,103 #3,101
2014 modern 2,120 #3,100
2015 modern 2,100 #3,091
2016 modern 2,079 #3,111

Geography

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Where Ohanlons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Denny, Liverpool, Glasgow, West Derby and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ08, Kintyre Trail, Fankerton, Stoneywood and Denny Town, Denny - Nethermains and East Hertfordshire. 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 Denny Stirling
2 Liverpool Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ08 West Dunbartonshire
2 Kintyre Trail Argyll and Bute
3 Fankerton, Stoneywood and Denny Town Falkirk
4 Denny - Nethermains Falkirk
5 East Hertfordshire 002 East Hertfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ohanlon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ohanlon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ohanlon, 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 Ohanlon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Ohanlon 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, Ohanlon 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

Ohanlon 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

Ohanlon 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 Ohanlon 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 Ohanlon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Ohanlon

The surname OHANLON is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Bréifne in what is now County Leitrim, Ireland. The name dates back to the 11th century and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó hAnluain, meaning "descendant of Anluain."

The OHANLON clan was part of the Uí Briúin dynasty, which ruled over the northern part of Bréifne. They were a prominent and influential family in the region, holding significant landholdings and playing a crucial role in the political and military affairs of the area.

The name OHANLON appears in various historic records and manuscripts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. One notable entry mentions Giolla Íosa Ó hAnluain, who died in 1337 and was described as the "most distinguished man of his tribe for hospitality and nobility."

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, which mention Tadhg Ó hAnluain, a prominent chieftain who died in 1395. The name is also recorded in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of documents from the 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OHANLON is found in the Annals of Lough Cé, which mention Ruaidhri Ó hAnluain, who was killed in a battle in 1256. The name is also associated with several place names in County Leitrim, such as Ballinahanlon and Drumhawnlon, reflecting the clan's historical presence in the area.

Notable individuals bearing the OHANLON surname throughout history include:

1. Redmond O'Hanlon (c. 1640-1681), an Irish military commander who fought for the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny during the Irish Confederate Wars. 2. John O'Hanlon (1821-1905), an Irish priest and ecclesiastical historian known for his extensive writings on the lives of Irish saints. 3. Michael O'Hanlon (1788-1862), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament for County Monaghan from 1837 to 1841. 4. Redmond O'Hanlon (1896-1916), an Irish rebel who fought in the Easter Rising of 1916, a pivotal event in the Irish Revolutionary period. 5. Rory O'Hanlon (born 1953), a British explorer and travel writer, known for his expeditions to the remote regions of South America and Asia.

The OHANLON surname has a rich history deeply rooted in the ancient Gaelic kingdoms of Ireland, reflecting the clan's prominence and influence in the region over several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ohanlon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ohanlon 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 27 Ohanlons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.84x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 27 2.84x
Cheshire 10 5.66x
Lanarkshire 9 3.48x
Durham 7 2.94x
Renfrewshire 7 11.29x
Northumberland 5 4.20x
Yorkshire 5 0.63x
Warwickshire 3 1.49x
Cumberland 2 2.90x
Middlesex 2 0.25x
Channel Islands 1 4.22x
Essex 1 0.63x
Glamorgan 1 0.72x
Midlothian 1 0.93x
Royal Navy 1 10.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bowdon in Cheshire leads with 9 Ohanlons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1285.71x.

Place Total Index
Bowdon 9 1285.71x
Govan 9 14.07x
Liverpool 6 10.41x
Manchester 6 14.06x
Gateshead 5 28.06x
Sheffield 5 19.82x
Eastwood 4 104.71x
Kirkdale 4 25.05x
Toxteth Park 4 12.45x
Westgate 4 54.27x
Birmingham 2 2.97x
Bootle Cum Linacre 2 26.53x
Port Glasgow 2 66.67x
Shoreditch London 2 5.77x
Tudhoe 2 96.15x
West Derby 2 7.20x
Whitehaven 2 54.50x
Brentwood 1 104.17x
Cardiff St Mary 1 13.04x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 6.63x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 2.32x
Great Little Saughall 1 526.32x
Leamington Priors 1 20.16x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 16.21x
North Meols 1 10.76x
Royal Navy 1 12.27x
St Peter 1 147.06x
West Greenock 1 8.98x
Withington 1 32.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Alice 3
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Martha 2
Anna 1
Annie 1
Cath. 1
Catharine 1
Chather 1
Eleanor 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizbth. 1
Emily 1
Kate 1
Maggie 1
Nellie 1
Theresa 1
Veronica 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
Patrick 5
William 3
Hugh 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Alfred 1
Aloysius 1
Daniel 1
Henry 1
Hubert 1
Michael 1
Michl. 1
Owen 1
Stephen 1
Terrance 1
Thomas 1

FAQ

Ohanlon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ohanlon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 158 people were recorded with the Ohanlon surname. That placed it at #14,989 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ohanlon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,079 in 2016. That gives Ohanlon a modern rank of #3,111.

What does the Ohanlon surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hAnnluain, meaning "descendant of Annluain" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

What does the Ohanlon map show?

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