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

Langan, 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 Langan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Langan in America

Langan is the 6769th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Langan surname appeared 4,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Langan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Langan 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 Langan

The surname Langan is of Irish origin and is believed to have originated in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic word 'Longán,' which means 'a little ship or vessel.' This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked on or owned a small boat.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Langan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Maelsechlainn O'Langan, who was the Chief of Muintir Eoluis in County Leitrim, in the year 1171.

In the 16th century, the Langan family was prominent in County Leitrim and owned lands in the barony of Mohill. The Irish Fiants, which are records of official documents from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, mention several members of the Langan family, including Fergus Langan, who received a pardon in 1592.

During the 17th century, the Langan name was also found in County Sligo, Ireland. One notable figure from this time was Edmond Langan, a Catholic priest who was executed for his faith in 1649 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

In the 18th century, the Langan family continued to be influential in County Leitrim. One notable member was Patrick Langan, who was a member of the Catholic Committee in the 1760s, which advocated for the rights of Irish Catholics.

The 19th century saw several Langan individuals make their mark in various fields. John Langan (1799-1869) was an Irish Catholic priest and writer who published works on theology and philosophy. Joseph Langan (1801-1879) was an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1867 to 1869.

Other notable individuals with the surname Langan include Mary Langan (1860-1940), an Irish-American labor activist and organizer in the garment industry, and Michael Langan (1890-1972), an Irish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Langan

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

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

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

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