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

Susan, 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 Susan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Susan in America

Susan is the 36379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Susan surname appeared 615 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 Susan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Susan 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 Susan

The surname Susan is an anglicized form of the French surname Soissons, which originated in the town of Soissons, located in the northern French region of Picardy. The name is believed to have derived from the Latin word "Suessiones," referring to the Gallic tribe that inhabited the area during ancient times.

The earliest known record of the surname Susan dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name was recorded as "Suissuns," reflecting its French origin.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Susan was primarily associated with individuals from the Soissons region who migrated to England, either as merchants, artisans, or as part of the Norman conquest. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Susan, a Knight of the Garter who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century.

As the surname spread across England, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Susans, Sussans, and Sussen. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

In the 16th century, the surname Susan gained prominence with the birth of Sir Walter Susan (1522-1586), a prominent English statesman and diplomat who served as Lord Chancellor under Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was Thomas Susan (1551-1626), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Westminster Abbey.

The 17th century saw the rise of Sir Edward Susan (1612-1676), an English politician and lawyer who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Charles II. In the same century, the surname also found its way to the American colonies, with the arrival of John Susan, who settled in Virginia in 1635.

As the centuries passed, the Susan surname continued to be associated with individuals of notable achievements, such as William Susan (1785-1858), a British naval officer and explorer who charted the coastline of Australia, and Sir Arthur Susan (1843-1925), a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Sierra Leone.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Susan

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

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

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

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