2000
#85,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Linnan
A surname likely derived from a place name or occupational term related to flax or linen production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 219 Americans carry the last name Linnan. That puts it at #100,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,565,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linnan 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.
Bearers in the US
219
1 in 1,565,088
Census rank
#100,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
191
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 191 bearers of the surname Linnan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Black (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linnan
The surname LINNAN is believed to have originated in Ireland, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish word "linn," meaning a pool or waterfall, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a body of water with such a feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LINNAN can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a man named Donnchad LINNAN in the year 1094. This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, where a man named William LINNAN is recorded as a landowner in the year 1230. This indicates that the name had spread beyond Ireland by this time, likely due to the migration of Irish settlers to England.
During the 16th century, the LINNAN surname can be found in various records from the Irish counties of Cork, Tipperary, and Limerick. One notable bearer of the name was Dermot LINNAN, who served as a captain in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
In the 17th century, the LINNAN name appears in the parish records of Kilkenny, Ireland, where several families with this surname were recorded. One prominent figure from this period was John LINNAN, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Kilkenny in the late 1600s.
As the Irish diaspora spread across the world, the LINNAN surname can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable bearer of the name was Michael LINNAN, an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.
Other notable individuals with the LINNAN surname include Patrick LINNAN, an Irish politician and member of the Parliament of Ireland in the late 18th century, and Margaret LINNAN, an Australian writer and poet who published several works in the early 20th century.
Overall, the LINNAN surname has a rich history rooted in the Irish tradition, with its origins dating back to the medieval period. While the name has spread across the globe, it remains closely associated with its Irish heritage and the areas of Cork, Tipperary, and Limerick, where many early bearers of the name were recorded.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linnan
Among Census respondents with the surname Linnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Black (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Linnan 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 Linnan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 9
- Black or African American2.1% · 4
- Two or more races2.1% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linnan
Linnan 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
#87,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
+9 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 2,020 places
2020
#100,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
-21 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 13,204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,643 | 203 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,663 | 212 | 0.07 | +9 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 2,020 places |
| 2020 | #100,867 | 191 | 0.06 | -21 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 13,204 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 Linnan 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 | #87,663 | #100,867 | -15.1% |
| Count | 212 | 191 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linnan bearers went from 212 to 191 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 13,204 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,663 to #100,867.
FAQ
Linnan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linnan?
Name Census estimates that about 219 living Americans carry the surname Linnan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,565,088 residents.
How common is Linnan?
Linnan ranks #100,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 191 people with the surname Linnan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Linnan.
Has Linnan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linnan went from 212 recorded bearers to 191. That is a decrease of 21 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,663 to #100,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Linnan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Linnan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linnan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%), Black (2.1%). 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 Linnan (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 Linnan mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name or occupational term related to flax or linen production. 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 Linnan (0.06 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 Linnan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.