2000
#86
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223,494
First available Census row
Per 100,000 82.85
Common Last name
Long
A English and Chinese surname referring to a person's tall stature or a long, narrow geographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 256,276 Americans carry the last name Long. That puts it at #100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 74.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Long 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 Long with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
256K
1 in 1,337
Census rank
#100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
74.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
223K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 223,485 bearers of the surname Long in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 74.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Long, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Long
The surname Long has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lang," which means "tall" or "long." This name would have originally been given as a nickname to someone who was particularly tall or lanky in stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Long can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named Walterus Longus is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the British government during the Middle Ages.
In the 13th century, the name Long appeared in various forms in historical documents, such as Robertus le Long, William Longe, and Walter le Longe. These variations in spelling were common during that time period, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
The surname Long is also associated with several place names in England, such as Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire and Long Melford in Suffolk. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "lang" as well, referring to the elongated shape or layout of the settlements.
One notable figure in history with the surname Long was Henry Long (c. 1556-1634), an English soldier and explorer who served under Sir Walter Raleigh in colonial Virginia. He played a significant role in the early English colonization efforts in North America.
Another prominent individual was Edward Long (1734-1813), a British historian and jurist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Jamaica, where he lived for several years. His work, "The History of Jamaica," published in 1774, is considered a seminal work on the island's colonial past.
In the realm of literature, George Long (1800-1879) was a renowned English classical scholar and translator. He is best known for his translations of various ancient Greek and Roman works, including those of Plutarch and Epictetus.
The Long family also left its mark in the field of science. John Long (1785-1865) was an English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their cultivation.
Finally, Huey Long (1893-1935) was a influential American politician who served as the Governor of Louisiana and later as a U.S. Senator. He gained national attention for his populist policies and his Share Our Wealth program, aimed at redistributing wealth more equitably.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Long
Among Census respondents with the surname Long, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Long 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 Long surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 171,227
- Black or African American11.8% · 26,370
- Two or more races4.1% · 9,205
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 7,070
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 6,806
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2,807
Timeline
Historical Census data for Long
Long 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
#97
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229,374
+5,880 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 77.76
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223,485
-5,889 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 74.77
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86 | 223,494 | 82.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97 | 229,374 | 77.76 | +5,880 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #100 | 223,485 | 74.77 | -5,889 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3 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 Long 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 | #97 | #100 | -3.1% |
| Count | 229,374 | 223,485 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 77.76 | 74.77 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Long bearers went from 229,374 to 223,485 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #97 to #100.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Long
FAQ
Long surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Long?
Name Census estimates that about 256,276 living Americans carry the surname Long. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,337 residents.
How common is Long?
Long ranks #100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 74.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 75 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 223,485 people with the surname Long. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (256,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 74.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 74.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 75 of them to have the surname Long.
Has Long become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Long went from 229,374 recorded bearers to 223,485. That is a decrease of 5,889 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #97 to #100.
What does the Census say about the background of Long?
Among Census respondents with the surname Long, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Long in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (171,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Long appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (11.8%), Two or More Races (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 Long (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 Long mean?
A English and Chinese surname referring to a person's tall stature or a long, narrow geographical feature. 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 Long (74.77 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 have the surname Long?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.