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

Bannerman, 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 Bannerman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bannerman in America

Bannerman is the 16662nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bannerman surname appeared 1,719 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bannerman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bannerman 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.

The history of the last name Bannerman

The surname Bannerman has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "bàn" meaning "fair" or "white" and "fear" meaning "man," suggesting that the name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.

The earliest recorded use of the name Bannerman can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1362, which mentions a "John Bannerman" in Perth. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the mid-14th century.

In the 16th century, the Bannerman family gained prominence in Aberdeenshire, where they held lands and estates. One notable figure from this era was Sir Patrick Bannerman (1510-1593), who served as the Lord Provost of Aberdeen and played a significant role in the city's affairs.

The Bannermans were also involved in military service, with several members serving in the Scottish regiments of the British Army. One such individual was Sir Alexander Bannerman (1668-1730), who fought in the Wars of the Spanish Succession and later became the Governor of Nova Scotia.

In the 18th century, the name spread beyond Scotland as members of the Bannerman family migrated to other parts of the British Empire. James Bannerman (1744-1826), a merchant and landowner, settled in Jamaica and established a successful plantation there.

Another prominent Bannerman was Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836-1908), a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908. He was born Henry Campbell but added the surname Bannerman after inheriting an estate from his mother's family.

The Bannerman name has also been associated with notable literary figures, such as John Bannerman (1901-1969), a Scottish poet and editor, and David Bannerman (1915-1999), a British author and illustrator of children's books.

While the name Bannerman has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States, carried by descendants of Scottish emigrants and soldiers who served in the British military.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bannerman

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

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 Bannerman was:

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 Bannerman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Bannerman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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