Logan
LOH-gun
“Logan” is a Scottish and Irish surname derived from a place name, from the Scottish Gaelic “lagan,” a diminutive of “lag” meaning a little hollow or small bay in a hillside.
The Logan estate in Ayrshire, Scotland, is the identified geographic origin of the surname, and the family name is documented in Scottish records from the 12th century onward.
In Ireland, Logan may also derive from a separate Gaelic origin, “O Leoghain,” meaning descendant of Leoghan, a personal name of uncertain meaning.
What the name Logan means
The surname Logan spread through Scottish settlement in Ulster during the Plantation of the 17th century, and from there to North America with Scots-Irish emigration in the 18th century.
General Benjamin Logan (1743-1802), a Kentucky frontiersman and soldier, is among the early notable bearers of the name in American history. Logan County and the city of Logansport, Indiana, preserve the surname across American geography.
James Logan (1674-1751), a Scots-Irish colonial statesman and scholar who served as secretary to William Penn, was 1 of the most intellectually distinguished early bearers of the name in America.
In popular culture, the Marvel Comics character Wolverine - whose real name is James Logan - brought the name into the global superhero lexicon from 1974 onward, and the 2017 film “Logan” used it as a standalone title, reinforcing its rugged,
independent associations.
The name rose sharply in the United States from the 1990s onward, reaching the top 5 by the late 2010s.
It ranks highly in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom as well. Its appeal crosses gender lines to a degree unusual for surnames-as-given-names.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Logan
Logan - similar names
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Ways to spell Logan
| Variant | Language |
|---|---|
| Loghan | English spelling variant |
| Logen | Spelling variant |