Bagan last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Bagan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bagan.

Meaning of Bagan

A Brahmin surname of east Indian origin indicating a learned or scholarly person.

Bagan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bagan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bagan in America

Bagan is the 45959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bagan surname appeared 464 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bagan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bagan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank45959433775.78%
Count464469-1.07%
Proportion per 100k0.160.17-6.06%

The history of the last name Bagan

The surname BAGAN is believed to have originated in Russia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic word "bagan," which means "muddy" or "swampy." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a swampy or marshy area.

Some of the earliest records of the BAGAN surname can be found in Russian census records and church documents dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often show variations in spelling, such as "Bagan," "Bagan'," and "Baganoff."

One notable historical figure with the BAGAN surname was Ivan Bagan, a Russian explorer who was part of the Great Northern Expedition in the 1730s. He explored the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands, and his expeditions helped map out the remote regions of eastern Russia.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Mikhail Bagan (1810-1888), a Russian painter and art teacher who worked in the Romantic style. He is known for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in various museums across Russia.

In the 19th century, the BAGAN surname also appeared in records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable person was Józef Bagan (1835-1912), a Polish writer and journalist who was active in the Polish independence movement.

Across the Atlantic, the BAGAN surname can be found in early American records, particularly in the northeastern states. One example is John Bagan (1760-1845), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in New York.

Another historical figure with the BAGAN surname was William Bagan (1839-1920), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the tobacco industry. He founded the Bagan Trust, which provided funding for educational and charitable causes in Ireland.

While the BAGAN surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bagan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bagan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bagan was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only83.84%389
Non-Hispanic Black Only1.94%9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only2.80%13
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.80%13
Hispanic Origin8.62%40

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bagan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White83.84%82.09%2.11%
Black1.94%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander2.80%3.62%-25.55%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races2.80%4.69%-50.47%
Hispanic8.62%7.46%14.43%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bagan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bagan, please contact us.

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