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

Lennon, 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 Lennon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lennon in America

Lennon is the 3343rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lennon surname appeared 10,720 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Lennon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lennon 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 Lennon

The surname Lennon originated in Ireland, where it is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Leannáin or Ó Lonáin. The name is derived from the Irish word "leannán" which means "lover" or "sweetheart". The Ó prefix in Irish names indicates "descendant of" or "grandson of".

The Lennon surname can be traced back to the 11th century in Ireland, where it was particularly prominent in the counties of Galway and Mayo. It is believed that the name may have originated with a renowned bard or poet who was known for writing love songs and poems.

The earliest recorded reference to the Lennon name appears in the Annals of Lough Cé, a medieval Irish chronicle, which mentions a member of the Ó Leannáin family in the year 1171. Another early record of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century, which mentions a member of the family named Gilla na Naomh Ó Leannáin in the year 1216.

The variant spelling "Lennon" became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries, likely due to the anglicization of Irish names during the Tudor and Stuart periods. One notable figure with this surname was Niall Ó Leannáin, a 16th-century Irish poet and historian who was also known as Nial O'Lennon.

In later centuries, the Lennon name was found in various parts of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Westmeath. Some notable individuals with this surname include:

1. Brian Lennon (1935-2017), an Irish novelist and short story writer.
2. James Lennon (1854-1935), an Irish-American industrialist and businessman.
3. Maise Lennon (1876-1958), an Irish stage actress and singer.
4. Patrick Lennon (1830-1901), an Irish-American author and journalist.
5. John Lennon (1940-1980), the renowned English singer, songwriter, and member of the Beatles, whose paternal ancestors were from Ireland.

While the Lennon surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Ireland, where it was associated with poets, bards, and historians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lennon

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

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

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

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