2000
#3,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.60
Uncommon Last name
Ashcraft
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold ash, a type of pottery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,049 Americans carry the last name Ashcraft. That puts it at #3,601 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,021 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashcraft 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.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,021
Census rank
#3,601
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,635 bearers of the surname Ashcraft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3601st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashcraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ashcraft
The surname Ashcraft is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree and "cræft" meaning craft or skill. It likely originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with ash wood, such as a maker of ash furniture, tools, or other implements.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, with spellings such as Ascroft, Ashecroft, and Aschcroft appearing in parish records and tax rolls. The name was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, where ash trees were abundant.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Ascroft, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, which lists a William de Aschcroft.
In the 16th century, the surname Ashcraft began to appear more frequently in records, with various spellings such as Ashcroft, Ashecroft, and Ashcrofte. Notable individuals from this period include John Ashcroft (c. 1520-1592), a prominent merchant and landowner in Lancashire, and Thomas Ashcroft (c. 1570-1641), a Puritan divine and author from Cheshire.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name continued to be well-represented in various parts of England, particularly in the north. Notable bearers of the name from this period include Edward Ashcroft (1628-1707), a wealthy landowner and benefactor from Lancashire, and John Ashcroft (1688-1768), a prominent Quaker minister and author from Yorkshire.
In the 19th century, the Ashcraft surname began to spread more widely across England and beyond, as migration and industrialization led to increased mobility. One notable figure from this period was Richard Ashcroft (1801-1879), a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Lancashire, who played a significant role in the development of the cotton industry.
Over the centuries, variations of the Ashcraft surname have included Ashcroft, Ashcrofte, Ashecroft, Ashecrofte, and Ashcrafte, among others. While the name has been most prevalent in England, it has also been found in other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in countries with significant British immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashcraft
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashcraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashcraft 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 Ashcraft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 8,695
- Two or more races3.8% · 368
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 290
- Black or African American1.9% · 182
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashcraft
Ashcraft 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
#3,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,957
+256 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.38
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#3,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,635
-322 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,370 | 9,701 | 3.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,576 | 9,957 | 3.38 | +256 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #3,601 | 9,635 | 3.22 | -322 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 25 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 Ashcraft 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 | #3,576 | #3,601 | -0.7% |
| Count | 9,957 | 9,635 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.38 | 3.22 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashcraft bearers went from 9,957 to 9,635 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,576 to #3,601.
FAQ
Ashcraft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashcraft?
Name Census estimates that about 11,049 living Americans carry the surname Ashcraft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,021 residents.
How common is Ashcraft?
Ashcraft ranks #3,601 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,635 people with the surname Ashcraft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ashcraft.
Has Ashcraft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashcraft went from 9,957 recorded bearers to 9,635. That is a decrease of 322 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,576 to #3,601.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashcraft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashcraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ashcraft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (8,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashcraft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ashcraft (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 Ashcraft mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold ash, a type of pottery. 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 Ashcraft (3.22 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 Americans have the surname Ashcraft?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.