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

Long, 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 Long surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Long in America

Long is the 97th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Long surname appeared 229,374 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 78 people would have the surname Long.

We can also compare 2010 data for Long 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 Long

The surname Long has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lang," which means "tall" or "long." This name would have originally been given as a nickname to someone who was particularly tall or lanky in stature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Long can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named Walterus Longus is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the British government during the Middle Ages.

In the 13th century, the name Long appeared in various forms in historical documents, such as Robertus le Long, William Longe, and Walter le Longe. These variations in spelling were common during that time period, as standardized spellings were not yet established.

The surname Long is also associated with several place names in England, such as Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire and Long Melford in Suffolk. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "lang" as well, referring to the elongated shape or layout of the settlements.

One notable figure in history with the surname Long was Henry Long (c. 1556-1634), an English soldier and explorer who served under Sir Walter Raleigh in colonial Virginia. He played a significant role in the early English colonization efforts in North America.

Another prominent individual was Edward Long (1734-1813), a British historian and jurist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Jamaica, where he lived for several years. His work, "The History of Jamaica," published in 1774, is considered a seminal work on the island's colonial past.

In the realm of literature, George Long (1800-1879) was a renowned English classical scholar and translator. He is best known for his translations of various ancient Greek and Roman works, including those of Plutarch and Epictetus.

The Long family also left its mark in the field of science. John Long (1785-1865) was an English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their cultivation.

Finally, Huey Long (1893-1935) was a influential American politician who served as the Governor of Louisiana and later as a U.S. Senator. He gained national attention for his populist policies and his Share Our Wealth program, aimed at redistributing wealth more equitably.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Long

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

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

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

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