2000
#32,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 672
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Affleck
Derived from a place name meaning "oak tree ford" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 843 Americans carry the last name Affleck. That puts it at #33,375 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 406,589 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Affleck surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Affleck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
843
1 in 406,589
Census rank
#33,375
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
735
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 735 bearers of the surname Affleck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33375th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Affleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Affleck
The surname Affleck has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "ath" meaning "ford" and "leac" meaning "flat stone," suggesting a possible connection to a location where people or vehicles crossed a river or stream over flat stones.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Aylmer de Auelek," indicating its early spelling variations.
In the 15th century, the name was often recorded as "Auelek" or "Auffleck" in various Scottish charters and records. This spelling likely evolved into the modern form of "Affleck" over time.
The Affleck surname has been prominent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The name is associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including:
1. Sir Robert Affleck (c. 1530-1588), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a Lord of the Privy Council during the reign of King James VI.
2. Gilbert Affleck (1570-1637), a Scottish merchant and Provost of Aberdeen in the early 17th century.
3. Edmund Affleck (1617-1675), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
4. Sir Robert Affleck (1748-1828), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
5. Thomas Affleck (1856-1923), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian Senate from 1901 to 1923.
The surname Affleck has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Affleck Castle in Ayrshire and the village of Affleck in Angus. These place names may have influenced the surname's development or been influenced by it.
While the Affleck surname has spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, its roots can be traced back to its Scottish origins, reflecting a rich history and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Affleck
Among Census respondents with the surname Affleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Affleck bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Affleck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 666
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 23
- Two or more races2.6% · 19
- Black or African American2.2% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Affleck
Affleck appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#31,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 744
+72 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 1,118 places
2020
#33,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 735
-9 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 2,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,302 | 672 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,184 | 744 | 0.25 | +72 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,118 places |
| 2020 | #33,375 | 735 | 0.25 | -9 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 2,191 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Affleck surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,184 | #33,375 | -7.0% |
| Count | 744 | 735 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.25 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Affleck bearers went from 744 to 735 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 2,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,184 to #33,375.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Affleck
FAQ
Affleck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Affleck?
Name Census estimates that about 843 living Americans carry the surname Affleck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 406,589 residents.
How common is Affleck?
Affleck ranks #33,375 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 735 people with the surname Affleck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (843), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Affleck.
Has Affleck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Affleck went from 744 recorded bearers to 735. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,184 to #33,375.
What does the Census say about the background of Affleck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Affleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Affleck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Affleck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Affleck (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Affleck mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "oak tree ford" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Affleck (0.25 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Affleck?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.