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

Longfellow, 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 Longfellow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Longfellow in America

Longfellow is the 14328th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Longfellow surname appeared 2,089 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Longfellow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Longfellow 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 Longfellow

The surname Longfellow originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "lang" meaning long and "felough" meaning fellow or companion. The name likely referred to a tall or lanky individual, perhaps a member of a medieval guild or fellowship.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Longfellow surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1208, where a person named William Longfellow is mentioned. The surname is also found in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard Longfelowe in Oxfordshire.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Longfellow surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Oxfordshire. Variations in spelling included Longfellowe, Longfelow, and Longfelloe, reflecting the inconsistencies in written records of that era.

A notable early bearer of the Longfellow name was John Longfellow (c. 1350-1420), a wealthy merchant and landowner from York. He is mentioned in several historical documents, including the York Civic Records of the late 14th century.

Another prominent figure was Sir William Longfellow (1474-1548), a member of the English gentry and a High Sheriff of Northumberland during the reign of Henry VIII. He was involved in several military campaigns against Scotland and is mentioned in the State Papers of the time.

In the 17th century, the Longfellow family had established a presence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Nathaniel Longfellow (1610-1675), who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the local community.

Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Longfellow surname was the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Born in Portland, Maine, he is considered one of the greatest poets of the 19th century and is renowned for works such as "The Song of Hiawatha" and "Evangeline."

Other notable individuals with the Longfellow surname include William Pitt Preble Longfellow (1836-1909), an American naval officer and historian; and Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow (1845-1925), a lawyer and philanthropist who served as a trustee of Harvard University.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Longfellow

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

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

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

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