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

Lovan, 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 Lovan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lovan in America

Lovan is the 19755th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lovan surname appeared 1,363 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 Lovan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lovan 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 Lovan

The surname Lovan has its origins in the Gaelic language, specifically from Ireland and Scotland. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "loanach," which means "meadow-dweller" or "one who lived near a meadow." The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lovan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The text mentions a person named "Lovan O'Dowgan" who lived in the 13th century.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript that records the genealogies of several Scottish clans. The book mentions a "John Lovan" who was a member of the Clan Campbell in the 15th century.

In Scotland, the name Lovan is often associated with the region of Argyll and the Hebrides Islands. Some early spellings of the name include "Loughan," "Lowane," and "Lowanne." These variations likely arose due to the phonetic differences between Gaelic and English.

One notable bearer of the Lovan surname was John Lovan, a Scottish mercenary who fought for the Swedish Empire in the 17th century. He was born around 1620 and served in the Thirty Years' War under the command of King Gustavus Adolphus.

Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Lovan, a 16th-century Scottish merchant and banker. He was born in Edinburgh around 1530 and became one of the wealthiest men in Scotland through his successful business ventures.

In Ireland, the name Lovan is often associated with County Donegal and County Sligo. One historical figure with this surname was Patrick Lovan, a 17th-century Irish rebel who fought against the English during the Irish Confederate Wars.

Another notable Irish bearer of the name was Michael Lovan, a 19th-century Catholic priest and educator. He was born in County Mayo in 1810 and founded several schools in Ireland and the United States.

A more recent example is Seamus Lovan, an Irish author and playwright born in 1920. He is best known for his collection of short stories titled "The Meadow People," which drew inspiration from his surname's meaning and Irish heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lovan

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

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

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

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