2000
#80,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Bannen
A locational surname originating from a place called Bannen in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 252 Americans carry the last name Bannen. That puts it at #90,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,360,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bannen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
252
1 in 1,360,136
Census rank
#90,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
220
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 220 bearers of the surname Bannen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bannen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bannen
The surname Bannen has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an anglicized variation of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Banain," which means "descendant of Banan." The name Banan itself is derived from the Irish word "ban," meaning "white" or "fair," suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have had fair hair or a pale complexion.
The Bannen surname was predominantly found in County Armagh and County Down, in the northern part of Ireland. Some early records show the name spelled as "Banan," "Bannan," or "Bannin," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest documented references to the Bannen surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of records from the 16th century. In these records, a certain Donell Banan is mentioned in connection with a land grant in County Down in the year 1587.
In the 17th century, the Bannen name appeared in the Muster Rolls of the Cromwellian Plantation in Ireland, which documented the settlement of English and Scottish colonists in various parts of the country. This suggests that some members of the Bannen family may have been involved in these colonization efforts.
Notable individuals with the surname Bannen include:
1. Patrick Bannen (1787-1857), an Irish Catholic priest and theologian who served as the President of St. Patrick's College in Maynooth, Ireland.
2. John Walshe Bannen (1824-1901), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the County Armagh constituency in the late 19th century.
3. James Bannen (1845-1918), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Bannen Distillery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
4. Michael Bannen (1887-1966), an Irish-American actor and theater director who had a successful career on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
5. William Bannen (1901-1986), an Irish-born American lawyer and judge who served as a federal judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
The Bannen surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Bannen's Bay in County Down and Bannen's Bridge in County Armagh. These locations may have been named after prominent members of the Bannen family or derived from other variations of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bannen
Among Census respondents with the surname Bannen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bannen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bannen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 7
- Two or more races1.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bannen
Bannen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#91,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
-16 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 10,409 places
2020
#90,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
+18 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,812 | 218 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,221 | 202 | 0.07 | -16 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,409 places |
| 2020 | #90,184 | 220 | 0.07 | +18 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 1,037 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bannen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #91,221 | #90,184 | 1.1% |
| Count | 202 | 220 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bannen bearers went from 202 to 220 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 1,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,221 to #90,184.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bannen
FAQ
Bannen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bannen?
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the surname Bannen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,360,136 residents.
How common is Bannen?
Bannen ranks #90,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 220 people with the surname Bannen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bannen.
Has Bannen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bannen went from 202 recorded bearers to 220. That is an increase of 18 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,221 to #90,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Bannen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bannen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bannen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (207 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bannen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bannen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bannen mean?
A locational surname originating from a place called Bannen in Scotland. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bannen (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Bannen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.