2000
#3,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.23
Rare Last name
Langdon
A habitational surname derived from any of the various places in England named Langdon, meaning "long hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,632 Americans carry the last name Langdon. That puts it at #4,097 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Langdon 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 Langdon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,585
Census rank
#4,097
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,400 bearers of the surname Langdon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4097th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Langdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Langdon
The surname Langdon has its origins in England, emerging in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from various places named Langdon or Langdene, which means "long valley" in Old English. The earliest recorded instances of the name come from the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Langedune" and "Langedene".
The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Kent and Essex, where several villages and hamlets bore the name Langdon or variations thereof. One notable example is the village of Langdon Hills in Essex, which was recorded as "Langeduna" in the Domesday Book.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Langdoun, Longdon, and Langdonne, reflecting the fluidity of English orthography during that time. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Robert de Langdon, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Thomas de Langdon, a monk and chronicler from the Abbey of St. Augustine in Canterbury. His historical works, including the "Chronicon Monasterii Sancti Augustini Cantuariensis," provide valuable insights into the events and personalities of his time.
Another notable individual was Sir John Langdon, born around 1510, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1577. He was a successful merchant and played a significant role in the city's governance and trade affairs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Samuel Langdon in 1723. He was an influential minister and president of Harvard College, known for his political sermons and support for American independence during the Revolutionary War.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, John Langdon Langdon-Down, born in 1828, was a pioneering English physician who made significant contributions to the field of mental health. He was the first to describe the condition now known as Down syndrome, which was initially referred to as "Langdon-Down syndrome" in his honor.
Throughout its history, the Langdon surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from clergymen and scholars to merchants and politicians, contributing to the rich tapestry of English heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Langdon
Among Census respondents with the surname Langdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Langdon 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 Langdon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 7,501
- Two or more races3.5% · 298
- Black or African American3.3% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 247
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Langdon
Langdon 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
#4,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,794
+71 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.98
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#4,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,400
-394 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,734 | 8,723 | 3.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,041 | 8,794 | 2.98 | +71 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #4,097 | 8,400 | 2.81 | -394 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 56 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 Langdon 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 | #4,041 | #4,097 | -1.4% |
| Count | 8,794 | 8,400 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.98 | 2.81 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Langdon bearers went from 8,794 to 8,400 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,041 to #4,097.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Langdon
FAQ
Langdon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Langdon?
Name Census estimates that about 9,632 living Americans carry the surname Langdon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,585 residents.
How common is Langdon?
Langdon ranks #4,097 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,400 people with the surname Langdon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,632), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Langdon.
Has Langdon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Langdon went from 8,794 recorded bearers to 8,400. That is a decrease of 394 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,041 to #4,097.
What does the Census say about the background of Langdon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Langdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Langdon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (7,501 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Langdon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (3.3%). 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 Langdon (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 Langdon mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of the various places in England named Langdon, meaning "long hill." 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 Langdon (2.81 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 have the last name Langdon?
Find out how many people have the last name Langdon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.