2000
#3,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.51
Uncommon Last name
Bohannon
Irish: descendant of Buan, a personal name meaning "lasting, enduring," or from Irish Ó Buadhachain "descendant of Buadhach" meaning "victorious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,699 Americans carry the last name Bohannon. That puts it at #3,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,036 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bohannon 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 Bohannon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,036
Census rank
#3,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,330 bearers of the surname Bohannon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bohannon
The surname Bohannon is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the northern region of Ulster. It is thought to derive from the Gaelic personal name "O'Branagain," which means "descendant of Branagan." This name was likely anglicized over time to the more phonetic spelling of "Bohannon."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bohannon name can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were administrative records of royal grants and appointments in Ireland during the 16th century. In these records, there are references to individuals with the surname Bohannon or similar spellings, such as "Brannaghan" or "Brannagane."
The Bohannon surname is also associated with several place names in Ireland, particularly in County Armagh and County Monaghan. For instance, there is a townland called Bohannon in County Monaghan, which likely took its name from a prominent family bearing the surname in that area.
Among the notable individuals with the Bohannon surname throughout history are:
1. Patrick Bohannon (c. 1570-1635), an Irish Catholic priest who was martyred during the Penal Laws for his religious beliefs.
2. John Bohannon (1782-1855), an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee.
3. Edmund Bohannon (1845-1923), a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War and later a prominent businessman in Texas.
4. William Bohannon (1889-1956), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.
5. Clarence "Pappy" Bohannon (1918-1997), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader who was active in the swing era and later worked as a session musician in Los Angeles.
While the Bohannon name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bohannon
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bohannon 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 Bohannon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 7,256
- Black or African American13.4% · 1,254
- Two or more races4.5% · 421
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 293
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bohannon
Bohannon 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
#3,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,663
+190 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#3,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,330
-333 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,450 | 9,473 | 3.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,677 | 9,663 | 3.28 | +190 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #3,700 | 9,330 | 3.12 | -333 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 23 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 Bohannon 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 | #3,677 | #3,700 | -0.6% |
| Count | 9,663 | 9,330 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.28 | 3.12 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bohannon bearers went from 9,663 to 9,330 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,677 to #3,700.
FAQ
Bohannon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bohannon?
Name Census estimates that about 10,699 living Americans carry the surname Bohannon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,036 residents.
How common is Bohannon?
Bohannon ranks #3,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,330 people with the surname Bohannon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,699), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bohannon.
Has Bohannon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bohannon went from 9,663 recorded bearers to 9,330. That is a decrease of 333 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,677 to #3,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Bohannon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bohannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (7,256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bohannon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bohannon (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 Bohannon mean?
Irish: descendant of Buan, a personal name meaning "lasting, enduring," or from Irish Ó Buadhachain "descendant of Buadhach" meaning "victorious." 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 Bohannon (3.12 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 Bohannon?
See how many people are called Bohannon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.