Last Names

Surnames / K

Kavanagh

How common is the last name Kavanagh?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Kavanagh, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Names nearby in the census

#6,414

Kavanagh was the 6,414th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 5,301 people, about 1.7 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)93.6%
  • Hispanic or Latino2.2%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)1.9%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander0.9%
  • Two or more races1.3%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.1%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.