Explore the Family Name Hefferon
The meaning of Hefferon
Irish: 1. Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÉimhrín ‘descendant of Éimhrín’, a diminutive of the legendary personal name Éimhear (still in use as the female personal name Emer). This is the name of a prominent Mayo family. The e vowel of the first syllable distinguishes it from Havron, which arises from Ó hAmhráin. 2. Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hUidhrín ‘descendant of Uidhrín’, a personal name from a diminutive of odhar ‘dun, sallow, swarthy’. Compare McGivern, in which the dh of Uidhrín has also been Anglicized by a bilabial rather than a dental fricative. Where the fricative is lost there has been some confusion with Hearn. There may also have been some confusion with Heffernan.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hefferon in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Hefferon has shown a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Hefferon was ranked 44,273rd in popularity, but by 2010, it had dropped in rank to 47,706th, marking a 7.75% change. The number of individuals with this surname also fell slightly, from 458 in 2000 to 444 in 2010. This denotes a 3.06% decrease, and proportionally, the presence of the name Hefferon per 100k people declined by 11.76%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #44,273 | #47,706 | -7.75% |
| Count | 458 | 444 | -3.06% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.17 | 0.15 | -11.76% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hefferon
Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the Hefferon surname is predominantly associated with individuals identifying as White. A significant 95.63% identified as such in 2000, and this percentage increased to 96.85% in 2010. The Hispanic representation among bearers of the Hefferon surname experienced a sharp decline, falling from 3.28% in 2000 to just 1.13% in 2010. In 2010, there were minimal shifts in representation for other ethinicities. Notably, the Asian/Pacific Islander category saw an introduction, capturing 1.13% of those with the Hefferon surname, whereas it had been absent in 2000. No Hefferons identified as Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native in either 2000 or 2010, while the category of Two or More Races was represented in 2000 but dropped off by 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.63% | 96.85% | 1.28% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.13% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 3.28% | 1.13% | -65.55% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |