Buchanan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Buchanan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Buchanan last name
Meaning of the Buchanan last name: from Buchanan in Stirlingshire. Buchanan comes from the lands of Buchanan, on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, whose Gaelic name is often explained as "the canon's house". The family held these lands for many centuries. Many Buchanans later settled in Ulster and moved on to Pennsylvania. A curious detail: the scholar George Buchanan tutored the young King James VI, and James Buchanan became the fifteenth president of the United States.
Arms associated with the Buchanan name
Scottish shields often carry galleys, lions and hands, symbols of sea power, courage and loyalty, and the Buchanan name shares in that imagery.
Get your full Buchanan family history
This is only a glimpse of the Buchanan story. The full Buchanan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Buchanan coat of arms. Get the full Buchanan report.
Buchanan name FAQ
What does the Buchanan name mean?
From Buchanan in Stirlingshire. Common variants include Buchannan, Bohannon, Buchanon.
Where does the Buchanan surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Northern Ireland.
Is there a Buchanan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Buchanan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.