2000
#50,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Lohan
A Gaelic surname of Irish origin meaning a person from Loughan, an Irish place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 594 Americans carry the last name Lohan. That puts it at #44,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 577,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lohan 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 Lohan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
594
1 in 577,028
Census rank
#44,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
518
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 518 bearers of the surname Lohan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lohan
The surname Lohan has its origins in Ireland, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "lodhan," which means a small meadow or a grassy patch of land. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with people who resided in or owned such meadows or grasslands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lohan can be found in the Irish Annals, a collection of historical records and chronicles. Specifically, the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, which were compiled in the early 17th century by a group of Franciscan scholars. The annals mention a prominent figure named Tadhg O'Lohan, who lived in the late 16th century and was a member of the O'Lohan clan from County Clare.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Lohan was particularly prevalent in the counties of Clare and Limerick, where several families with this surname held land and positions of influence. One notable individual from this period was John Lohan, a wealthy landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Clare in the Irish House of Commons in the late 18th century.
As people migrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, the Lohan surname spread to various countries. In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Lohan can be found in records from the United States, particularly in cities with large Irish immigrant communities, such as Boston and New York.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Lohan is Anne Lohan, a renowned Irish writer and poet who lived from 1911 to 2001. Her works, which often explored themes of Irish identity and culture, earned her critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
Another prominent figure was Michael Lohan, an Irish-American actor and filmmaker who was born in 1960. He is best known for his roles in films such as "The Wanderers" and "Bloodnight," as well as his work as a producer and director.
In the world of sports, the name Lohan has been associated with several athletes. One example is Brian Lohan, an Irish hurler who played for the Clare senior hurling team and was part of the team that won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1995 and 1997.
The surname Lohan has also been carried by individuals in various fields, such as academia, politics, and business. For instance, John Lohan was a prominent architect in the early 20th century, known for his work on several buildings in Chicago, including the Board of Trade Building and the Burnham Center.
Overall, the surname Lohan has a rich history rooted in Irish culture and traditions, with its origins dating back to the 16th century. Throughout the centuries, individuals with this surname have made significant contributions across various domains, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lohan
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lohan 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 Lohan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 449
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 23
- Two or more races1.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lohan
Lohan 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
#62,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 322
-63 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 11,286 places
2020
#44,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 518
+196 bearers (+60.9%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 17,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,903 | 385 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,189 | 322 | 0.11 | -63 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 11,286 places |
| 2020 | #44,611 | 518 | 0.17 | +196 bearers (+60.9%) | Up 17,578 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 Lohan 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 | #62,189 | #44,611 | 28.3% |
| Count | 322 | 518 | 60.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.17 | 57.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lohan bearers went from 322 to 518 (+60.9% change). The surname moved up 17,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,189 to #44,611.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lohan
FAQ
Lohan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lohan?
Name Census estimates that about 594 living Americans carry the surname Lohan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 577,028 residents.
How common is Lohan?
Lohan ranks #44,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 518 people with the surname Lohan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (594), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Lohan.
Has Lohan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lohan went from 322 recorded bearers to 518. That is an increase of 196 (+60.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #62,189 to #44,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Lohan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Lohan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lohan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Lohan (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 Lohan mean?
A Gaelic surname of Irish origin meaning a person from Loughan, an Irish place name. 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 Lohan (0.17 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 have the surname Lohan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.