FastNamesLogan
Scottish and Celtic name meaning "Derived from the Scottish Gaelic toponymic lagan, a diminutive of lag meaning 'little hollow', 'dell', or 'depression in the landscape'.". Ranked 53rd for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Logan
Derived from the Scottish Gaelic toponymic lagan, a diminutive of lag meaning 'little hollow', 'dell', or 'depression in the landscape'.
Linguistically, Logan is classified under Scottish and Celtic naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "LOH-gahn".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Logan has been given to a total of 387,999 boys. It has also been given to 31,838 girls.
Peak year: Logan reached its highest relative share among boys in 2017, when 14,061 babies received the name (7,597 per million births).
All-time best rank: 5th place, first achieved in 2017.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 53rd with 5,576 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 14th (down 39 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Logan in the 2000s than in any other decade (134,033 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 267 |
| 1890s | 149 |
| 1900s | 136 |
| 1910s | 566 |
| 1920s | 693 |
| 1930s | 482 |
| 1940s | 507 |
| 1950s | 532 |
| 1960s | 547 |
| 1970s | 1,485 |
| 1980s | 13,983 |
| 1990s | 63,577 |
| 2000s | 134,033 |
| 2010s | 126,850 |
| 2020s | 44,192 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Logan is most common in the US
Accounting for when Logan was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Wyoming: 2.0 times the national rate (836 births since 1910).
- Vermont: 1.9 times the national rate (871 births since 1910).
- North Dakota: 1.9 times the national rate (1,588 births since 1910).
- Montana: 1.9 times the national rate (1,684 births since 1910).
- South Dakota: 1.8 times the national rate (1,650 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Logan?
About 379,000 living American boys and men share the name Logan. Additionally, an estimated 31,500 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Logan is 18 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Logan
Logan began as a Scottish habitational surname derived from Gaelic lagan ('little hollow'), describing families residing in several locations named Logan across Ayrshire and Galloway in southwestern Scotland. The Gaelic root lag is an ancient topographical term denoting a low, sheltered hollow or meadow between hills.
The surname was carried across the Atlantic during early Scottish and Scotch-Irish migrations to Pennsylvania and the southern backcountry. Prominent early bearers included statesman James Logan (1674–1751), mayor of Philadelphia and confidant of William Penn, and the famed Mingo orator Chief Logan (Tah-gah-jute). The name was widely bestowed on counties, towns, and mountain peaks throughout North America.
In late twentieth-century America, Logan transitioned dramatically from a distinguished family surname into a wildly popular given name. It first entered the SSA top 100 for boys in 1991, climbed into the top twenty in 2006, and reached peak national popularity in 2017 at rank 5. Celebrated for its brisk, energetic cadence and Scottish pastoral etymology, Logan remains an enduring favorite across the United States.
Notable people named Logan
- Logan Paul (1995–), American media personality and professional wrestler
- Logan Lerman (1992–), American actor
- Logan Pearsall Smith (1865–1946), American-born British essayist and critic
- Logan Couture (1989–), Canadian professional ice hockey player
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 173.
- George F. Black. The Surnames of Scotland (1946), p. 436.
- P.H. Reaney, R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (1997), p. 283.