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

Buchan, 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 Buchan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buchan in America

Buchan is the 10851st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buchan surname appeared 2,935 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 Buchan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buchan 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 Buchan

The surname Buchan originates from Scotland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Scottish place name Buchan, which refers to a district in Aberdeenshire, located in the northeastern part of the country. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "bùthan," meaning "little hut" or "small dwelling."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Buchan can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The Rolls mention several individuals with the surname Buchan, including John de Buchan and William de Buchan.

In the 14th century, the Buchan family played a significant role in Scottish history. Sir Alexander de Buchan was a prominent figure during the Wars of Scottish Independence and fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Sir Alexander's son, John de Buchan, was appointed as the Justiciar of Scotland by King David II in 1368.

The Buchans were also associated with the Earldom of Buchan, a historic Scottish peerage title. One notable holder of the title was John Stewart, Earl of Buchan (1489-1551), who was a prominent Scottish nobleman and Lord High Treasurer of Scotland during the reign of King James V.

Another famous individual with the surname Buchan was Elspeth Buchan (c. 1738-1791), a Scottish author and poet who is considered one of the earliest female writers in Scottish literature. Her works, including "Elegies on the Death of Family and Friends," offer insights into the lives of women in 18th-century Scotland.

In the 19th century, John Buchan (1875-1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and politician who served as the Governor General of Canada from 1935 to 1940. He is best known for his popular adventure novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps," which was later adapted into several films.

Other notable individuals with the surname Buchan include David Buchan (1777-1838), a Scottish historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Scotland, and Norman de Buchan (c. 1285-1361), a Scottish cleric and Bishop of Sodor and Man in the 14th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buchan

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

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

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

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