2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Drynan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Draignéin, meaning "descendant of the blackthorn".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Drynan. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drynan 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 Drynan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Drynan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drynan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drynan
The surname Drynan is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "druim" meaning ridge and "a' namunn" meaning of the river, combined to form "Druimanamunn" or "ridge of the river".
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296 as "Dromanan". This document was a record of Scottish nobles who were forced to swear fealty to King Edward I of England after his invasion of Scotland.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Drymnane", "Drymnan", and "Drynnane" in various Scottish charters and records. One notable figure from this time was John Drynan, a Scottish nobleman who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
By the 16th century, the spelling had largely settled on "Drynan" or "Drynane". In 1548, a Robert Drynan is recorded as being a landowner in the county of Ayrshire. Another notable Drynan from this period was William Drynan, a Scottish clergyman who served as the Dean of Dunblane Cathedral in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name spread beyond Scotland, with records of Drynans appearing in England and Ireland. One of the most notable figures from this time was Captain James Drynan, an Irish soldier who served in the British Army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
The 18th century saw the Drynan name continue to spread throughout the British Isles and beyond. One notable figure was John Drynan, a Scottish merchant who settled in Virginia in the early 1700s and became a prominent landowner and plantation owner.
Over the centuries, the Drynan name has been associated with various places in Scotland, such as the village of Drynan in East Ayrshire and the Drynan Burn, a stream in the Scottish Borders. The name has also been linked to the Clan Drummond, with some suggesting that Drynan may have been a sept or branch of this larger Scottish clan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drynan
Among Census respondents with the surname Drynan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Drynan 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 Drynan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drynan
Drynan 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+14 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,735 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-7 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 3,735 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 9,001 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 Drynan 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 | #133,048 | #142,049 | -6.8% |
| Count | 127 | 120 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drynan bearers went from 127 to 120 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 9,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #142,049.
FAQ
Drynan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drynan?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Drynan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Drynan?
Drynan ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Drynan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Drynan.
Has Drynan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drynan went from 127 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Drynan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drynan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Drynan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drynan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Drynan (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 Drynan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Draignéin, meaning "descendant of the blackthorn". 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 Drynan (0.04 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 Drynan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.