# Buchanan (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/buchanan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic from Scotland.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 66,648 |
| US rank (2010) | 503 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 4,632 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.4% (63,825 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /bjuˈkænən/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Buchannon, Buchanon |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Buchanan in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 77% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Buchanan in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Buchanan

- James M. Buchanan, American economist, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics (1919–2013)
- Pat Buchanan, American politician and commentator
- Tanner Buchanan, American actor
- Roy Buchanan, American blues musician (1939–1988)
- Edgar Buchanan, American actor (1903–1979)
- Sharon Buchanan, Australian field hockey player
- Jack Buchanan, British actor, singer, director and producer (1891-1957)
- Barry Buchanan, American professional wrestler
- Lachlan Buchanan, Australian actor
- Glenn Buchanan, Australian swimmer, Olympic bronze medallist
- Caroline Buchanan, Australian racing cyclist
- James P. Buchanan, American politician (1867-1937)

and 7 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Buchanon, Buckman, Bushman, Bachmann, Buchman, Beckman, Baughman, Bachman, Bozeman, Beckmann, Backman, Beekman.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.