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

Lehan, 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 Lehan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lehan in America

Lehan is the 28065th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lehan surname appeared 853 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lehan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lehan 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 Lehan

The surname Lehan is believed to have originated in Ireland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic "O'Leathain," which means "descendant of Leathan," with Leathan being a personal name. The name is thought to have originated in County Galway, where it was particularly prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lehan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, the name is spelled "O'Leathain," and it appears in entries dating back to the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name Lehan appears in various legal documents and records from County Galway. For instance, a land grant from 1587 mentions a John O'Leathain, whose name was anglicized to John Lehan.

The Lehan surname has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One such figure was Patrick Lehan (1720-1794), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who was a vocal advocate for the rights of Catholics in Ireland during the Penal Laws.

Another prominent individual with the surname Lehan was Michael Lehan (1801-1888), an Irish politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for Galway Borough from 1857 to 1865.

In the 19th century, the name Lehan was also found among Irish immigrants who settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One notable example is John Lehan (1855-1919), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1897 to 1905.

The Lehan surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Lehanagh in County Galway, which likely derives from the Irish "Leath-anamha," meaning "half-marsh."

Overall, the surname Lehan has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Ireland, particularly in County Galway. While the spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time, the name continues to be a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Irish people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lehan

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

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

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

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