2000
#465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.94
Uncommon Last name
Logan
Derived from a place name meaning "little hollow" in Scottish Gaelic, or from the Irish surname Ó Leocháin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 74,256 Americans carry the last name Logan. That puts it at #507 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Logan 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 Logan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
74K
1 in 4,616
Census rank
#507
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
65K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 64,755 bearers of the surname Logan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 507th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Logan, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Logan
The surname Logan has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "lagan," meaning a small hollow or valley. The name was initially used as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a small valley or depression in the land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Logan can be found in medieval Scottish charters and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Logan, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The Logan surname is closely associated with the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Lanarkshire. The name is also linked to several place names in these areas, such as Logan in East Ayrshire and Loganhouse in Renfrewshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Logan family played a prominent role in Scottish history. Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig (c. 1555-1637) was a Scottish writer and conspirator who was implicated in the Gowrie Conspiracy against King James VI of Scotland. Another notable figure was John Logan (1748-1788), a Scottish poet and playwright who wrote the popular tragedy "Runnamede."
The Logan surname also has a strong presence in Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by Scottish settlers during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. One of the most famous Irish Logans was Sir William Logan (1776-1839), a geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada.
Other notable individuals with the Logan surname include John Logan (1923-1987), an American actor known for his roles in films like "Camelot" and "The Professionals," and James Logan (1674-1751), an American colonial leader and scholar who served as the leader of the Province of Pennsylvania.
Overall, the surname Logan has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Lowlands, with its origins dating back to the 12th century. It has since spread across the British Isles and beyond, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Logan
Among Census respondents with the surname Logan, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Logan 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 Logan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.9% · 40,097
- Black or African American27.3% · 17,651
- Two or more races4.7% · 3,057
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 2,706
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 678
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 566
Timeline
Historical Census data for Logan
Logan 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
#492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,909
+3,333 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 23.02
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,755
-3,154 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 21.66
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #465 | 64,576 | 23.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #492 | 67,909 | 23.02 | +3,333 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #507 | 64,755 | 21.66 | -3,154 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15 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 Logan 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 | #492 | #507 | -3.0% |
| Count | 67,909 | 64,755 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 23.02 | 21.66 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Logan bearers went from 67,909 to 64,755 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #492 to #507.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Logan
FAQ
Logan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Logan?
Name Census estimates that about 74,256 living Americans carry the surname Logan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,616 residents.
How common is Logan?
Logan ranks #507 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 64,755 people with the surname Logan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (74,256), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Logan.
Has Logan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Logan went from 67,909 recorded bearers to 64,755. That is a decrease of 3,154 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #492 to #507.
What does the Census say about the background of Logan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Logan, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Logan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.9% (40,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Logan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.9%), Black (27.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Logan (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 Logan mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "little hollow" in Scottish Gaelic, or from the Irish surname Ó Leocháin. 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 Logan (21.66 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 common is the surname Logan?
If you just want to know how common the surname Logan is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.