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

Trahan, 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 Trahan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trahan in America

Trahan is the 2560th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trahan surname appeared 14,114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Trahan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trahan 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 Trahan

The surname Trahan originates from the region of Poitou in western France, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "trahan," meaning "betrayer" or "traitor," which may have been originally used as a nickname for someone who was deemed untrustworthy or disloyal.

The name can be traced back to the village of Trahan, located in the department of Vienne, where it is believed to have been first used as a family name. In ancient records, the name was often spelled as "Trahant" or "Trayhan," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common in medieval times.

One of the earliest documented references to the name Trahan can be found in the Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Maixent, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a certain "Radulfus Trahant" as a witness to a land transaction. Another early mention of the name appears in the Trésor des Chartes, a collection of royal charters and documents from the French monarchy, where a "Guillelmus Trahant" is listed as a tenant in the year 1286.

Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Trahan throughout history are:

1. Jean Trahan (c. 1630-1690), one of the earliest French settlers in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick), who arrived in the region around 1650 and established a family that played a significant role in the development of Acadian society.

2. Jacques Trahan (1667-1738), a French colonist and military officer who served as the commandant of Fort St. Louis in present-day Illinois during the early 18th century.

3. Pierre Trahan (1695-1768), a French-Canadian farmer and landowner in the Acadian settlement of Grand-Pré, whose property was seized and family displaced during the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755.

4. Joseph Trahan (1767-1840), a French-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became one of the first settlers in the Attakapas region of Louisiana.

5. Narcisse Trahan (1824-1890), a prominent businessman and politician in Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and as a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1879.

The Trahan surname has persisted over centuries and across continents, carrying with it a rich history and cultural legacy that reflects the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trahan

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

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

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

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