2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Longjohn
A surname referring to someone tall or wearing long pants or underwear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Longjohn. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Longjohn 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Longjohn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Longjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Longjohn
The surname LONGJOHN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "lang" and "john," which collectively refer to a person with a tall or long stature named John. The name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname before becoming an established surname.
Historically, the LONGJOHN surname appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where the earliest known records of the name can be found. In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a person named William Longjohn residing in Yorkshire. Similarly, the Subsidy Rolls of 1379 mention a Robert Longjohn living in Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LONGJOHN surname is found in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York, which dates back to 1272. This document lists a person named Robertus Longejohn, further solidifying the name's early presence in the Yorkshire region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the LONGJOHN surname. One such figure was Sir William Longjohn (c. 1475 - 1547), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King Henry VIII. Another was John Longjohn (c. 1520 - 1585), a merchant and alderman in the City of London, known for his involvement in the cloth trade.
In the 17th century, the LONGJOHN surname gained some renown through the exploits of Captain Thomas Longjohn (c. 1630 - 1692), a renowned English privateer and explorer who is said to have sailed with Sir Walter Raleigh. Additionally, the name appears in historical records related to the English Civil War, with a Captain Richard Longjohn (c. 1610 - 1670) serving as a Royalist commander.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable bearer of the LONGJOHN surname was Sir Edward Longjohn (1735 - 1811), a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral and played a significant role in several naval engagements during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the name spread and evolved over time, various spellings and place-based variations emerged, such as Longjon, Longjohnes, and Longjohns, reflecting the diverse regional influences on the surname's development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Longjohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Longjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Longjohn 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 Longjohn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.3% · 74
- Black or African American16.5% · 19
- Two or more races7.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Longjohn
Longjohn appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Longjohn 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Longjohn bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Longjohn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Longjohn?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Longjohn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Longjohn?
Longjohn ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Longjohn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Longjohn.
Has Longjohn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Longjohn went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Longjohn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Longjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Longjohn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Longjohn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.3%), Black (16.5%), Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Longjohn (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 Longjohn mean?
A surname referring to someone tall or wearing long pants or underwear. 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 Longjohn (0.04 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 last name Longjohn?
See how many people are called Longjohn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.