2000
#21,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Buchanon
A Scottish surname derived from a place name, likely meaning "dwelling by the canon's lands."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,013 Americans carry the last name Buchanon. That puts it at #28,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 338,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchanon 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
1.0K
1 in 338,356
Census rank
#28,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
883
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 883 bearers of the surname Buchanon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchanon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buchanon
The surname Buchanon originated in Scotland, where it is a variant spelling of the name Buchanan. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "buth" meaning "hut" or "house" and "chanain" meaning "canon" or "chancellor." It is believed to have first emerged in the region of Loch Lomond, near the present-day town of Buchanan.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears in various spellings, including Buchanane and Boughannon.
In the 15th century, the Buchanans were a powerful clan in central Scotland, with their seat at Buchanan Castle near Loch Lomond. Notable figures from this period include Sir Maurice Buchanan, who fought alongside William Wallace during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the late 13th century.
The name gained further prominence in the 16th century with George Buchanan (1506-1582), a renowned Scottish humanist scholar, historian, and poet. He served as a tutor to King James VI of Scotland and was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation.
Another notable figure was Robert Buchanan (1841-1901), a Scottish poet and novelist who was part of the "Fleshly School" of Victorian poetry. He was known for his satirical works and his criticism of other poets, including Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Buchanon spelling can be found in the records of the Virginia colony in the late 17th century. John Buchanon, born around 1670, was among the early settlers in the region.
James Buchanan (1791-1868) was the 15th President of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He was born in Pennsylvania to parents of Scottish descent and is the only bachelor president in American history.
In the realm of sports, Roy Buchanan (1939-1988) was an American guitarist renowned for his innovative playing style and his contributions to the development of the blues-rock genre.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Buchanon or its various spellings, reflecting its Scottish origins and the rich heritage associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchanon
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchanon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchanon 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 Buchanon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.4% · 454
- White38.8% · 343
- Two or more races4.8% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchanon
Buchanon 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
#23,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,092
-63 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 2,139 places
2020
#28,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 883
-209 bearers (-19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 5,359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,176 | 1,155 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,315 | 1,092 | 0.37 | -63 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 2,139 places |
| 2020 | #28,674 | 883 | 0.30 | -209 bearers (-19.1%) | Down 5,359 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 Buchanon 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 | #23,315 | #28,674 | -23.0% |
| Count | 1,092 | 883 | -19.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.30 | -20.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchanon bearers went from 1,092 to 883 (-19.1% change). The surname moved down 5,359 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,315 to #28,674.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Buchanon
FAQ
Buchanon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchanon?
Name Census estimates that about 1,013 living Americans carry the surname Buchanon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 338,356 residents.
How common is Buchanon?
Buchanon ranks #28,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 883 people with the surname Buchanon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Buchanon.
Has Buchanon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchanon went from 1,092 recorded bearers to 883. That is a decrease of 209 (-19.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,315 to #28,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchanon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchanon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) 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 Buchanon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.4% (454 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchanon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.4%), White (38.8%), 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 Buchanon (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 Buchanon mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name, likely meaning "dwelling by the canon's lands." 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 Buchanon (0.30 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 share the surname Buchanon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.