2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Behanan
Irish surname denoting a person from Benanadin, a place name meaning 'peak of the little hill'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143 Americans carry the last name Behanan. That puts it at #138,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,396,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Behanan 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
143
1 in 2,396,883
Census rank
#138,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125 bearers of the surname Behanan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Behanan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Behanan
The surname Behanan is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically from the Gaelic Irish name Ó Beacháin, which means "descendant of Beachán." Beachán is a diminutive form of the Irish name Bēcc, meaning "small" or "little." The name likely emerged as a nickname or descriptive name in the early medieval period.
The Behanan surname can be traced back to County Kerry in the southwestern part of Ireland, where it was particularly prominent in the region around Dingle. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various Irish annals and records from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns.
One notable figure bearing the Behanan surname was Sir John Behanan, a 17th-century Irish landowner and member of the Irish Parliament. He was born around 1630 in County Kerry and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region during the tumultuous period of the Irish Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
Another individual of note was Daniel Behanan, an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War. He was born in County Kerry in 1749 and later immigrated to Pennsylvania, where he enlisted in the Continental Army and served under General George Washington.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Behanan surname was Michael Behanan, a Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. Born in County Kerry in 1820, he immigrated to the United States and became a successful merchant in New York City. He was known for his charitable contributions to various causes, including the establishment of schools and hospitals in his native Ireland.
The Behanan surname has also been associated with several notable places in Ireland. For instance, the townland of Behananorris in County Kerry is believed to have derived its name from the Behanan family who once owned lands in the area. Similarly, the Behanan River in the same county is thought to have been named after the family.
Over the centuries, the surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Behanon, Behannen, and Behanam, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes in Ireland. However, the Behanan spelling has remained the most prevalent form of the name throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behanan
Among Census respondents with the surname Behanan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Behanan 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 Behanan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.8% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.0% · 15
- Two or more races4.8% · 6
- White1.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Behanan
Behanan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#138,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+10 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,841 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #138,300 | 125 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 5,841 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 Behanan 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 | #144,141 | #138,300 | 4.1% |
| Count | 115 | 125 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Behanan bearers went from 115 to 125 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 5,841 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #138,300.
FAQ
Behanan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Behanan?
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the surname Behanan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,396,883 residents.
How common is Behanan?
Behanan ranks #138,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 125 people with the surname Behanan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Behanan.
Has Behanan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Behanan went from 115 recorded bearers to 125. That is an increase of 10 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #138,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Behanan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Behanan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Behanan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Behanan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (80.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Behanan (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 Behanan mean?
Irish surname denoting a person from Benanadin, a place name meaning 'peak of the little hill'. 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 Behanan (0.04 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 have the last name Behanan?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Behanan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.