2000
#13,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Bohan
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "boghán" meaning "small bow" or "ribbon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,422 Americans carry the last name Bohan. That puts it at #13,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bohan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bohan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,517
Census rank
#13,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,112 bearers of the surname Bohan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bohan
The surname BOHAN has its roots in Ireland, where it first appeared in the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Gaelic words "bo" meaning cow, and "bhan" meaning white, suggesting the name may have originally referred to someone who owned or tended white cattle.
Records indicate the name was particularly prevalent in County Fermanagh, where the Bohan clan settled and established themselves as landowners. The earliest known bearer of the name was Conall Bohan, a nobleman mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in the year 780.
During the medieval period, the name appears in various Irish manuscripts and legal documents. One notable example is the mention of Diarmaid Bohan in the 14th century Annals of Connacht, detailing his involvement in a local conflict.
The Bohan name also has ties to place names in Ireland, such as Bohanagh in County Galway, which likely means "the place of the Bohans." This suggests the name was once associated with specific territories held by the family.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Bohan surname. One of the earliest was Eoghan Bohan, born in 1598, who served as a captain in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
Another prominent figure was Michael Bohan (1640-1702), a Catholic priest who faced persecution during the Penal Laws but continued to minister in secret. His defiance earned him the nickname "The Hunted Priest."
In more recent times, James Bohan (1892-1972) was an Irish Republican Army volunteer who participated in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became a respected historian and author.
John Bohan (1928-2001) was a celebrated Irish sculptor whose works can be found in galleries and public spaces across Ireland and beyond.
Additionally, Mary Bohan (1934-2005) was a renowned Irish actress who graced stages in Ireland, Britain, and the United States, earning critical acclaim for her performances in both classic and contemporary plays.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bohan
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bohan 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 Bohan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,891
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 104
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 28
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bohan
Bohan 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
#13,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,351
+215 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 68 places
2020
#13,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,112
-239 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,125 | 2,136 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,057 | 2,351 | 0.80 | +215 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 68 places |
| 2020 | #13,728 | 2,112 | 0.71 | -239 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 671 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 Bohan 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 | #13,057 | #13,728 | -5.1% |
| Count | 2,351 | 2,112 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.71 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bohan bearers went from 2,351 to 2,112 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 671 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,057 to #13,728.
FAQ
Bohan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bohan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,422 living Americans carry the surname Bohan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,517 residents.
How common is Bohan?
Bohan ranks #13,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,112 people with the surname Bohan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bohan.
Has Bohan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bohan went from 2,351 recorded bearers to 2,112. That is a decrease of 239 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,057 to #13,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Bohan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bohan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bohan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bohan (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 Bohan mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "boghán" meaning "small bow" or "ribbon." 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 Bohan (0.71 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 surname Bohan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.