2000
#9,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Strahan
An Irish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "stream" or "river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,823 Americans carry the last name Strahan. That puts it at #9,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strahan 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 Strahan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,656
Census rank
#9,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,334 bearers of the surname Strahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strahan
The surname Strahan has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word 'Strath', meaning valley or glen, and 'àbhainn', meaning river or stream. This suggests that the name originated from a specific place, likely a valley or glen near a river or stream.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Here, the name appears as 'de Strathawan', indicating its Scottish roots.
In the 14th century, the name is mentioned in the records of the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, with various spellings such as 'Strathawan' and 'Strathawin'. This highlights the fluidity of surname spellings in early times.
The name Strahan is also linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Strathannan in Perthshire and Strathavon in Banffshire. These place names likely influenced the surname's evolution and regional variations.
Notable individuals bearing the Strahan surname include:
1. Sir George Strahan (1677-1748), a British Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.
2. William Strahan (1715-1785), a Scottish printer and publisher who worked with renowned authors like Samuel Johnson and Benjamin Franklin.
3. Alexander Strahan (1833-1918), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.
4. George Strahan (1854-1912), a Scottish-born Australian politician and member of the Australian Senate.
5. Michael Strahan (born 1971), a former American football defensive end who played for the New York Giants and is now a television personality.
While the Strahan surname has roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including England, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and the United States, due to migration and the expansion of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Strahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Strahan 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 Strahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 2,769
- Black or African American9.0% · 301
- Two or more races3.7% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strahan
Strahan 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
#9,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,559
+232 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#9,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,334
-225 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,032 | 3,327 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,172 | 3,559 | 1.21 | +232 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #9,360 | 3,334 | 1.12 | -225 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 188 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 Strahan 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 | #9,172 | #9,360 | -2.0% |
| Count | 3,559 | 3,334 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.12 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strahan bearers went from 3,559 to 3,334 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,172 to #9,360.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Strahan
FAQ
Strahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strahan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,823 living Americans carry the surname Strahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,656 residents.
How common is Strahan?
Strahan ranks #9,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,334 people with the surname Strahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Strahan.
Has Strahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strahan went from 3,559 recorded bearers to 3,334. That is a decrease of 225 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,172 to #9,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Strahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Strahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (2,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Strahan (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 Strahan mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "stream" or "river." 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 Strahan (1.12 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 Strahan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Strahan is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.