The Flanagan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 30,887 people carried this name — #1,134 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 9,550 people counted. That is up 4% from 29,563 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Flanagan surname

From Irish Ó Flannagáin (“descendant of Flannagán”), a personal name from a double diminutive of flann (“blood red”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Flanagan» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 219 births for the Flanagan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 9,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 46 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 73
Leinster 61
Ulster 52
Munster 33

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

47 people named Flanagan is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 47

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Flanagan was recorded 25 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 962nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 41. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

40 families named Flanagan, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 218 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 13 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 11
Pennsylvania 10
Virginia 9
North Carolina 4
New York 3
South Carolina 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 240 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Flanagan in American newspapers,
1909–1923.

Newspaper page from Casper Daily Tribune carrying the name Flanagan
Casper Daily Tribune 1923-05-27
Newspaper page from Vilas County News carrying the name Flanagan
Vilas County News 1909-10-20
Newspaper page from The Thermopolis Independent carrying the name Flanagan
The Thermopolis Independent 1921-11-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 107,361 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Flanagan in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

60,483 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Flanagan. The most, 10,557, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 30,028
Victoria 12,943
Queensland 8,821
Western Australia 4,649
South Australia 2,061
Tasmania 1,429
ACT (Canberra) 471
Northern Territory 12

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Flanagan.

Who carried it

People named Flanagan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • J. W. Flanagan
    J. W. Flanagan 1805–1887 · lawyer
  • Roderick Flanagan
    Roderick Flanagan 1828–1862 · poet
  • John Flanagan
    John Flanagan 1868–1938 · athletics competitor
  • De Witt C. Flanagan
    De Witt C. Flanagan 1870–1946 · politician
  • William Henry Flanagan
    William Henry Flanagan 1871–1944 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 244 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Flanagan,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States7,735 records

7,735 records of the Flanagan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,553
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,765
  • Other U.S. records 3,417
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles D. Flanagan

    Born 1921 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Houston; welder from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie Flanagan

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Blucher from Hamburg, aged 32; waitress. From London, England; bound for Jersey City.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Tom Flanagan

    Born 1947; from Learned, Mississippi. U.S. Army, heavy anti-armor weapons infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 7,735 records for Flanagan in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,930 records

1,930 records of the Flanagan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 623
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 436
  • Other Australian records 871
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Flanagan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Cadet, sailing from London in 1847. Native of Staffordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Patrick Flanagan

    Born 1894 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1927 in Tasmania, aged 32. Will registered in Tasmania in 1927.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ethel May Flanagan

    Born 1876 in Longford, Tasmania. Married 1895 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, aged 18.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,930 records for Flanagan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada89 records

89 records of the Flanagan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 35
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 17
  • Other Canadian records 37
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Flanagan

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Medway, bound for Barrie, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Leona Helen Flanagan

    Buried in 1967 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 39.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maude Agnes Flanagan

    Died 1964 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 89 records for Flanagan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand46 records

46 records of the Flanagan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 37
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 4
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Bernard Flanagan

    Died 1946, aged 59; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Matilda Flanagan

    Buried in 1906 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 44.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Mary Flanagan

    Died 2001; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 46 records for Flanagan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland43 records

43 records of the Flanagan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Flanagan

    Died 1975, aged 67; buried at Ballinakill, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Nora Flanagan

    Died 1919, aged 27; buried at Cortoon, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Anne Flanagan

    Died 1971, aged 87; buried at Labane, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 43 records for Flanagan in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom31 records

31 records of the Flanagan name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 24
  • Stirling Council burial records 4
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Flanagan

    Died 1996, aged 77; buried at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Patrick Flanagan

    Will proved in 1909; of Holyhead, Anglesea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. C. Flanagan

    Lancashire Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Flanagan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Flanagan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record June Kathleen Flanagan

    Married in 1946 in Winschoten; "stenografe".

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anthonij Flanagan

    In the population register of Leeuwarden; born 1913.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Flanagan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Flanagan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Roy Hilton Flanagan

    Born 1915 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Flanagan in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Flanagan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Flanagan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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