2000
#8,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Shahan
A Persian surname meaning "king" or "monarch," derived from the Persian word "shah."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,468 Americans carry the last name Shahan. That puts it at #10,158 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,833 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shahan 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
3.5K
1 in 98,833
Census rank
#10,158
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,024 bearers of the surname Shahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10158th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shahan
The surname "SHAHAN" is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish Gaelic word "Seachnán," which means "prosperous" or "fortunate."
During the medieval period, the name was primarily concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of Ireland, particularly in counties such as Wexford, Kilkenny, and Waterford. The earliest known bearer of the name was Seachnán of Cullen, a 6th-century Irish monk and scholar who established a monastic settlement in County Tipperary.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it was recorded as "Shahan." This spelling variation likely emerged as a result of the anglicization of Irish names during the period of English rule in Ireland.
One notable figure bearing the name "SHAHAN" was Michael Shahan (1857-1936), an American prelate who served as the fourth Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York, from 1910 to 1932. Another prominent individual was Thomas Joseph Shahan (1857-1932), an American Catholic priest, historian, and professor at the Catholic University of America.
In the 19th century, the surname "SHAHAN" was found in various parts of Ireland, including counties such as Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. Patrick Shahan (1837-1911), an Irish-born prelate who served as the second Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York, from 1888 to 1911, was a notable bearer of the name during this period.
The name "SHAHAN" also appeared in historical records in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled as "Shehan" or "Sheehan." One example is John Shahan (1839-1909), a Scottish-born prelate who served as the first Bishop of Peoria, Illinois, from 1888 to 1901.
In more recent times, the surname "SHAHAN" has been associated with individuals such as William Shahan (1859-1931), an American Catholic priest and professor at the Catholic University of America, and John Shahan (1920-1999), an American prelate who served as the fourth Bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1966 to 1994.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shahan 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 Shahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,737
- Two or more races4.0% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 37
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shahan
Shahan 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
#8,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,772
+314 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 44 places
2020
#10,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,024
-748 bearers (-19.8%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 1,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,748 | 3,458 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,704 | 3,772 | 1.28 | +314 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 44 places |
| 2020 | #10,158 | 3,024 | 1.01 | -748 bearers (-19.8%) | Down 1,454 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 Shahan 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 | #8,704 | #10,158 | -16.7% |
| Count | 3,772 | 3,024 | -19.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.01 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shahan bearers went from 3,772 to 3,024 (-19.8% change). The surname moved down 1,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,704 to #10,158.
FAQ
Shahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shahan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,468 living Americans carry the surname Shahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,833 residents.
How common is Shahan?
Shahan ranks #10,158 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,024 people with the surname Shahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,468), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shahan.
Has Shahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shahan went from 3,772 recorded bearers to 3,024. That is a decrease of 748 (-19.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,704 to #10,158.
What does the Census say about the background of Shahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Shahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Shahan (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 Shahan mean?
A Persian surname meaning "king" or "monarch," derived from the Persian word "shah." 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 Shahan (1.01 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 are called Shahan?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Shahan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.