2000
#12,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Lannon
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Leanáin, meaning "descendant of Leanán," a personal name derived from a diminutive of "leann," meaning "cloak."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,203 Americans carry the last name Lannon. That puts it at #14,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lannon 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 Lannon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,585
Census rank
#14,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,921 bearers of the surname Lannon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lannon
The surname Lannon originated in Ireland and has its roots in the Gaelic language. The name is derived from the old Irish word "lann," meaning "enclosure" or "house." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a house or enclosure.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lannon can be traced back to the 16th century in County Leitrim, Ireland. The name was particularly prominent in the areas around Lough Gill and the town of Dromahair.
In the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century, there are references to several individuals with the surname Lannon. One notable entry mentions a Teige Lannon, who was involved in a conflict with the O'Rourkes, a powerful Irish clan, in the year 1590.
The name Lannon also appears in the Irish Fiants, a collection of public records from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1603, a document records a land grant to a Dermot Lannon in County Leitrim.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lannon was Seán Lannon, born around 1620 in Dromahair, County Leitrim. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
Another notable figure was Bridget Lannon, born in 1725 in County Leitrim. She was a renowned traditional Irish singer and storyteller, and her work helped preserve many aspects of Irish oral tradition.
In the 19th century, John Lannon (1820-1898) was a prominent Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Philadelphia, where he established a successful brewery.
Brian Lannon (1940-2018) was a renowned Irish author and playwright, best known for his works exploring the experiences of the Irish diaspora in Britain and the United States.
Mary Lannon (1878-1962) was an Irish-American labor activist and organizer who played a crucial role in the garment workers' union movement in New York City in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lannon
Among Census respondents with the surname Lannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lannon 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 Lannon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,724
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 101
- Two or more races2.3% · 44
- Black or African American1.7% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lannon
Lannon 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
#12,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,427
+233 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 138 places
2020
#14,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
-506 bearers (-20.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 2,095 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,858 | 2,194 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,720 | 2,427 | 0.82 | +233 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 138 places |
| 2020 | #14,815 | 1,921 | 0.64 | -506 bearers (-20.8%) | Down 2,095 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 Lannon 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 | #12,720 | #14,815 | -16.5% |
| Count | 2,427 | 1,921 | -20.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.64 | -21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lannon bearers went from 2,427 to 1,921 (-20.8% change). The surname moved down 2,095 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,720 to #14,815.
FAQ
Lannon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lannon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,203 living Americans carry the surname Lannon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,585 residents.
How common is Lannon?
Lannon ranks #14,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,921 people with the surname Lannon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lannon.
Has Lannon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lannon went from 2,427 recorded bearers to 1,921. That is a decrease of 506 (-20.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,720 to #14,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Lannon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lannon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lannon (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 Lannon mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Leanáin, meaning "descendant of Leanán," a personal name derived from a diminutive of "leann," meaning "cloak." 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 Lannon (0.64 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 Lannon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.