2000
#7,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,948
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Strachan
A Scottish locational surname derived from Gaelic meaning "valley of the stream" or "place of the streams."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,741 Americans carry the last name Strachan. That puts it at #7,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strachan 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 Strachan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,296
Census rank
#7,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,134 bearers of the surname Strachan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strachan, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strachan
The surname Strachan is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic phrase 'strath an', meaning 'valley dweller'. This name was likely adopted by early bearers who lived in the valley regions of Scotland, particularly in areas such as Kincardineshire and Aberdeenshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1538, which mention a person named Alexander Strachan. The name also appears in the Scottish Ecclesiastical Records, with a record from 1593 referring to a John Strachan who was a minister in the parish of Arbuthnott, Kincardineshire.
The Strachan name has a strong connection to the town of Banchory in Aberdeenshire, where a prominent family bearing the name resided for several generations. Sir John Strachan (1778-1867), a Scottish Anglican bishop and educator, was born in Banchory and played a significant role in the establishment of educational institutions in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada).
Another notable figure with the Strachan surname was Sir Richard Strachan (1772-1828), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Wiltshire, England, and is remembered for his victories in the Battle of Cape Ortegal in 1805 and the Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne in 1808.
In the 19th century, William Strachan (1814-1890), a Scottish engraver and artist, gained recognition for his work on the illustrations for Sir Walter Scott's novels. He was born in Edinburgh and contributed to the revival of wood engraving as an art form.
Another notable bearer of the name was James Strachan (1832-1897), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was born in Dunfermline and was known for his charitable contributions to educational institutions and hospitals in his hometown.
The Strachan name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Strachan in Aberdeenshire, which was derived from the Gaelic phrase 'strath an' and likely served as the origin for the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strachan
Among Census respondents with the surname Strachan, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Strachan 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 Strachan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 2,614
- Black or African American28.0% · 1,159
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 158
- Two or more races3.7% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strachan
Strachan 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
#7,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,266
+318 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#7,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,134
-132 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,760 | 3,948 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,781 | 4,266 | 1.45 | +318 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #7,718 | 4,134 | 1.38 | -132 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 63 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 Strachan 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 | #7,781 | #7,718 | 0.8% |
| Count | 4,266 | 4,134 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.38 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strachan bearers went from 4,266 to 4,134 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,781 to #7,718.
FAQ
Strachan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strachan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,741 living Americans carry the surname Strachan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,296 residents.
How common is Strachan?
Strachan ranks #7,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,134 people with the surname Strachan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,741), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Strachan.
Has Strachan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strachan went from 4,266 recorded bearers to 4,134. That is a decrease of 132 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,781 to #7,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Strachan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strachan, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Strachan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (2,614 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strachan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (28.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Strachan (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 Strachan mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from Gaelic meaning "valley of the stream" or "place of the streams." 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 Strachan (1.38 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 surname Strachan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.