2000
#2,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.69
Uncommon Last name
Borden
Derived from a place name meaning "valley of the boar" or "boar valley" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,968 Americans carry the last name Borden. That puts it at #2,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borden 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 Borden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,200
Census rank
#2,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,797 bearers of the surname Borden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borden, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borden
The surname Borden has its origins in the Old English word "bord," meaning "plank" or "board." It was likely an occupational name given to someone who worked with boards, such as a carpenter or a builder. The name may also have derived from various place names containing the word "bord," such as Borden in Kent, England.
The surname first appeared in historic records in the 12th century. One of the earliest documented instances is in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where a Roger de Borden is mentioned. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, also contains several references to places with the name Borden.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Kent, and Somerset. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a John de Borden in Lincolnshire and a William de Borden in Kent.
One notable individual with the surname Borden was Sir John Borden (c.1394-1476), a wealthy English landowner and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in 1426 and 1429. He was also appointed as the Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in 1435.
Another prominent figure was Robert Layton Borden (1854-1937), who served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He led the country during World War I and played a crucial role in the formation of the Canadian Corps.
In the United States, Lizzie Andrew Borden (1860-1927) gained notoriety for being tried and acquitted for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. The case became a subject of enduring public curiosity and inspired numerous works of literature and popular culture.
Gail Borden (1801-1874) was an American surveyor, teacher, and inventor who patented a process for condensing milk in a vacuum, which led to the development of the Borden dairy company.
Sir Robert Laird Borden (1854-1937), mentioned earlier, was also an influential figure in Canadian politics and served as the country's Prime Minister during World War I.
These are just a few notable individuals who have carried the surname Borden throughout history, reflecting its widespread presence and historical significance across various regions and contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borden
Among Census respondents with the surname Borden, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Borden 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 Borden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 11,335
- Black or African American12.9% · 1,914
- Two or more races4.5% · 663
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 635
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 169
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borden
Borden 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
#2,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,500
+158 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 5.25
Rank movement Down 181 places
2020
#2,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,797
-703 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.95
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,171 | 15,342 | 5.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,352 | 15,500 | 5.25 | +158 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 181 places |
| 2020 | #2,403 | 14,797 | 4.95 | -703 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 51 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 Borden 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 | #2,352 | #2,403 | -2.2% |
| Count | 15,500 | 14,797 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.25 | 4.95 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borden bearers went from 15,500 to 14,797 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,352 to #2,403.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Borden
FAQ
Borden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borden?
Name Census estimates that about 16,968 living Americans carry the surname Borden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,200 residents.
How common is Borden?
Borden ranks #2,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,797 people with the surname Borden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,968), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Borden.
Has Borden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borden went from 15,500 recorded bearers to 14,797. That is a decrease of 703 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,352 to #2,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Borden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borden, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Borden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (11,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Borden (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 Borden mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "valley of the boar" or "boar valley" in Old English. 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 Borden (4.95 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 share the surname Borden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.