2000
#2,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.54
Uncommon Last name
Mahan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Mathghamhna," meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," a personal name meaning "bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,069 Americans carry the last name Mahan. That puts it at #2,507 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,330 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mahan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,330
Census rank
#2,507
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,013 bearers of the surname Mahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2507th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahan
The surname Mahan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "mathghamhain," meaning "bear." The name likely referred to someone with a bear-like appearance or demeanor.
Historically, the Mahan surname was concentrated in County Mayo, located in the northwestern part of Ireland. It is believed to have been an anglicized version of the Irish name "O'Madaghain," which was common in that region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mahan surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a certain "Maghnus O'Madaghain" in the year 1253, who was involved in a conflict with the O'Conors of Connacht.
In the 16th century, the Mahans were among the Irish families who were dispossessed of their lands during the Plantation of Ulster, a state-sponsored colonization of the northern Irish provinces by English and Scottish settlers. Many Mahans were forced to seek refuge in other parts of Ireland or emigrate to other countries.
Notable individuals bearing the Mahan surname throughout history include:
1. Dennis Hart Mahan (1802-1871), an American military officer and civil engineer who served as a professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
2. Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914), a renowned American naval officer and historian whose works, such as "The Influence of Sea Power upon History," had a significant impact on naval strategy and maritime doctrine.
3. John Mahan (1624-1676), an English Puritan minister and writer who emigrated to New England and served as the first pastor of the church in Eastham, Massachusetts.
4. Asa Mahan (1799-1889), an American minister, educator, and philosopher who served as the president of Oberlin College in Ohio and was an early advocate for the abolition of slavery.
5. Milo Mahan (1899-1970), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Cardinals and later served as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in the All-America Football Conference.
While the Mahan surname has evolved over time, with various spellings appearing in historical records, such as Mahon, Mahaun, and Mahoune, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Irish Gaelic language and the distinctive traditions of County Mayo.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahan 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 Mahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 11,571
- Black or African American7.1% · 998
- Two or more races4.6% · 638
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 556
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 156
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahan
Mahan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,375
+438 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#2,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,013
-1,362 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 4.69
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,231 | 14,937 | 5.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,371 | 15,375 | 5.21 | +438 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #2,507 | 14,013 | 4.69 | -1,362 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 136 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 Mahan 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 | #2,371 | #2,507 | -5.7% |
| Count | 15,375 | 14,013 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.21 | 4.69 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahan bearers went from 15,375 to 14,013 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,371 to #2,507.
FAQ
Mahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahan?
Name Census estimates that about 16,069 living Americans carry the surname Mahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,330 residents.
How common is Mahan?
Mahan ranks #2,507 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,013 people with the surname Mahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,069), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mahan.
Has Mahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahan went from 15,375 recorded bearers to 14,013. That is a decrease of 1,362 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,371 to #2,507.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (11,571 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mahan (2000, 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 Mahan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Mathghamhna," meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," a personal name meaning "bear." 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 Mahan (4.69 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 common is the surname Mahan?
You can see how many people are called Mahan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.