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

Buchanan, 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 Buchanan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buchanan in America

Buchanan is the 503rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buchanan surname appeared 66,648 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 23 people would have the surname Buchanan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buchanan 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 Buchanan

The surname Buchanan is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the early 11th century in the region of Stirlingshire. The name is derived from the Gaelic words 'buth' and 'chanain,' which together mean "house or hut of the canon or canon's house." This refers to the residences of the canons or clergy members of the Church during that time.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Buchanan appears in the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it is listed as 'de Buchanen.' This document was a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the ancient Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, dating back to the 14th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Buchanan was Sir Maurice Buchanan, who lived during the reign of King David II in the mid-14th century. He was a prominent Scottish knight and landowner, known for his involvement in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another notable figure was George Buchanan, a renowned Scottish humanist scholar, historian, and poet, who was born in 1506 and died in 1582.

The Buchanan family has a rich history in Scotland, with their ancestral lands located in the area of Buchanan, near Loch Lomond. The clan was known for their support of the Scottish Crown and their involvement in various battles and conflicts throughout the centuries. One of the most famous members of the clan was John Buchanan, the 15th Earl of Buchanan, who lived from 1725 to 1822 and played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings.

Other notable individuals with the surname Buchanan include James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States, who was of Scottish descent and served from 1857 to 1861. Sir George Buchanan, a renowned Scottish explorer and diplomat in the 16th century, and Robert Buchanan, a Scottish poet and novelist of the Victorian era, born in 1841 and died in 1901, also carried the name.

The Buchanan surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Buchannan, Buchanon, and Buchanane, but the modern spelling of Buchanan has become the most widely accepted form.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buchanan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!