Meaning and origin
The last name Long has its origin in England and Ireland. It is derived from the Middle English word "long," meaning tall or long, and was used as a nickname for someone of tall stature. In some cases, the name may also have been used to describe someone who lived by a long, narrow piece of land. Over time, the Long surname spread to other English-speaking countries through migration and colonization. Today, it is a common surname across the English-speaking world with variations in spellings like Longe and Lange.
The longer story
The name can be found in various forms, including Longe, Laing, Lang, and Lange.
In this case, the surname likely referred to someone who lived near a long strip of land or a tall hill.
The distribution of the Long surname indicates a high concentration in the United States, particularly in the southeastern states, such as North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. This suggests that many early Long immigrants settled in these regions and their descendants continued to bear the surname. The surname is also prevalent in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Canada.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#97
Long was the 97th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 229,374 people, about 78 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Where it is found
Countries linked to Long.
Surnames like Long
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Long is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.