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

Longest, 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 Longest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Longest in America

Longest is the 22663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Longest surname appeared 1,132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Longest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Longest 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 Longest

The surname LONGEST is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lang" meaning "long" or "tall." It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were particularly tall or had a long body shape.

During the Middle Ages, the LONGEST surname was most prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk in England. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.

The LONGEST surname also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name had already been established by the late 11th century.

In the 14th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Longeste" or "Longheste," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time period. These alternative spellings can be found in various historical documents, including parish records and court rolls.

One notable bearer of the LONGEST surname was Sir John Longest, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. He was born around 1320 and died in 1387.

Another prominent figure with this surname was William Longest, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Nottingham during the 15th century. He was born in 1435 and passed away in 1501.

In the 16th century, the LONGEST surname was associated with the village of Longest in Gloucestershire, England. This place name likely originated from the Old English words "lang" and "gest," meaning "long ridge" or "long hill."

During the 17th century, a notable bearer of the LONGEST surname was Thomas Longest, a Puritan minister who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He was born in 1610 in Nottinghamshire, England, and died in 1684 in Boston, Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, John Longest, a British naval officer and explorer, gained recognition for his expeditions to the Arctic regions. He was born in 1725 in Portsmouth, England, and died in 1789 during one of his voyages.

Throughout history, the LONGEST surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and military leaders. While the name originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Longest

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!