2000
#3,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,265
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.81
Uncommon Last name
Lennon
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Ó Leannáin, meaning "descendant of Leannán" (a devotee of St. John).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,773 Americans carry the last name Lennon. That puts it at #3,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lennon 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 Lennon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,114
Census rank
#3,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,267 bearers of the surname Lennon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lennon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lennon
The surname Lennon originated in Ireland, where it is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Leannáin or Ó Lonáin. The name is derived from the Irish word "leannán" which means "lover" or "sweetheart". The Ó prefix in Irish names indicates "descendant of" or "grandson of".
The Lennon surname can be traced back to the 11th century in Ireland, where it was particularly prominent in the counties of Galway and Mayo. It is believed that the name may have originated with a renowned bard or poet who was known for writing love songs and poems.
The earliest recorded reference to the Lennon name appears in the Annals of Lough Cé, a medieval Irish chronicle, which mentions a member of the Ó Leannáin family in the year 1171. Another early record of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century, which mentions a member of the family named Gilla na Naomh Ó Leannáin in the year 1216.
The variant spelling "Lennon" became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries, likely due to the anglicization of Irish names during the Tudor and Stuart periods. One notable figure with this surname was Niall Ó Leannáin, a 16th-century Irish poet and historian who was also known as Nial O'Lennon.
In later centuries, the Lennon name was found in various parts of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Westmeath. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Brian Lennon (1935-2017), an Irish novelist and short story writer.
2. James Lennon (1854-1935), an Irish-American industrialist and businessman.
3. Maise Lennon (1876-1958), an Irish stage actress and singer.
4. Patrick Lennon (1830-1901), an Irish-American author and journalist.
5. John Lennon (1940-1980), the renowned English singer, songwriter, and member of the Beatles, whose paternal ancestors were from Ireland.
While the Lennon surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Ireland, where it was associated with poets, bards, and historians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lennon
Among Census respondents with the surname Lennon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lennon 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 Lennon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 7,915
- Black or African American14.5% · 1,488
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 416
- Two or more races3.0% · 306
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lennon
Lennon 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
#3,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,720
+455 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 3.63
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#3,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,267
-453 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.43
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,201 | 10,265 | 3.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,343 | 10,720 | 3.63 | +455 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #3,406 | 10,267 | 3.43 | -453 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 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 Lennon 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 | #3,343 | #3,406 | -1.9% |
| Count | 10,720 | 10,267 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.63 | 3.43 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lennon bearers went from 10,720 to 10,267 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,343 to #3,406.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lennon
FAQ
Lennon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lennon?
Name Census estimates that about 11,773 living Americans carry the surname Lennon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,114 residents.
How common is Lennon?
Lennon ranks #3,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,267 people with the surname Lennon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lennon.
Has Lennon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lennon went from 10,720 recorded bearers to 10,267. That is a decrease of 453 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,343 to #3,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Lennon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lennon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Lennon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (7,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lennon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.5%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Lennon (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 Lennon mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Ó Leannáin, meaning "descendant of Leannán" (a devotee of St. John). 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 Lennon (3.43 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 Lennon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.