2000
#471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.66
Uncommon Last name
Buchanan
A toponymic surname of Scottish origin meaning "dweller at the house of the canon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 73,790 Americans carry the last name Buchanan. That puts it at #511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchanan 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 Buchanan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
74K
1 in 4,645
Census rank
#511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 64,348 bearers of the surname Buchanan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchanan, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buchanan
The surname Buchanan is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the early 11th century in the region of Stirlingshire. The name is derived from the Gaelic words 'buth' and 'chanain,' which together mean "house or hut of the canon or canon's house." This refers to the residences of the canons or clergy members of the Church during that time.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Buchanan appears in the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it is listed as 'de Buchanen.' This document was a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the ancient Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, dating back to the 14th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Buchanan was Sir Maurice Buchanan, who lived during the reign of King David II in the mid-14th century. He was a prominent Scottish knight and landowner, known for his involvement in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another notable figure was George Buchanan, a renowned Scottish humanist scholar, historian, and poet, who was born in 1506 and died in 1582.
The Buchanan family has a rich history in Scotland, with their ancestral lands located in the area of Buchanan, near Loch Lomond. The clan was known for their support of the Scottish Crown and their involvement in various battles and conflicts throughout the centuries. One of the most famous members of the clan was John Buchanan, the 15th Earl of Buchanan, who lived from 1725 to 1822 and played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings.
Other notable individuals with the surname Buchanan include James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States, who was of Scottish descent and served from 1857 to 1861. Sir George Buchanan, a renowned Scottish explorer and diplomat in the 16th century, and Robert Buchanan, a Scottish poet and novelist of the Victorian era, born in 1841 and died in 1901, also carried the name.
The Buchanan surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Buchannan, Buchanon, and Buchanane, but the modern spelling of Buchanan has become the most widely accepted form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchanan
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchanan, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchanan 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 Buchanan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 47,636
- Black or African American17.1% · 10,981
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,696
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,245
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 442
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 348
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchanan
Buchanan 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
#503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,648
+2,823 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 22.59
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,348
-2,300 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 21.53
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #471 | 63,825 | 23.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #503 | 66,648 | 22.59 | +2,823 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #511 | 64,348 | 21.53 | -2,300 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 8 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 Buchanan 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 | #503 | #511 | -1.6% |
| Count | 66,648 | 64,348 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 22.59 | 21.53 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchanan bearers went from 66,648 to 64,348 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #503 to #511.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Buchanan
FAQ
Buchanan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchanan?
Name Census estimates that about 73,790 living Americans carry the surname Buchanan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,645 residents.
How common is Buchanan?
Buchanan ranks #511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 64,348 people with the surname Buchanan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (73,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Buchanan.
Has Buchanan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchanan went from 66,648 recorded bearers to 64,348. That is a decrease of 2,300 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #503 to #511.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchanan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchanan, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Buchanan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (47,636 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchanan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Buchanan (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 Buchanan mean?
A toponymic surname of Scottish origin meaning "dweller at the house of the canon." 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 Buchanan (21.53 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 share the surname Buchanan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.