2000
#1,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.11
Uncommon Last name
Childs
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of children, likely an orphanage worker or foster parent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,940 Americans carry the last name Childs. That puts it at #1,241 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Childs 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 Childs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,731
Census rank
#1,241
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,853 bearers of the surname Childs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1241st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Childs, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Black (29.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Childs
The surname Childs is an English habitational name derived from a place called Childs Ercall in Shropshire, England. This place name is thought to have originated from the Old English words 'cild' meaning 'child' and 'ert' meaning 'soil' or 'ground', referring to a fertile area suitable for raising children.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Childs dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire from 1273, where it appears as 'de Childiserhull'. This spelling variation demonstrates the name's connection to the place of origin.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings across England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the name Childs. However, the village of Childs Ercall is mentioned under its older spelling, 'Childiserhull'.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Childs, who was born around 1470 in Woodborough, Nottinghamshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a magistrate in the region.
Another notable individual with the surname Childs was Sir Francis Childs (1607-1685), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1670 to 1671. He was instrumental in rebuilding parts of the city after the Great Fire of London in 1666.
In the 16th century, the name Childs appeared in various records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1523, where it was spelled as 'Chylde'.
A famous literary figure who bore the surname Childs was Mary Childs (1822-1899), an English novelist and poet. She published several works, including "The Bentons: A Story of Today" and "The Courtier: A Novel of the Time of Charles II".
Another notable bearer of the name was Ebenezer Lane Childs (1786-1856), an American politician and lawyer from Massachusetts. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1823 to 1825.
The surname Childs has also been associated with various place names across England, such as Childs Wickham in Gloucestershire and Childs Ercall in Shropshire, further highlighting its habitational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Childs
Among Census respondents with the surname Childs, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Black (29.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Childs 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 Childs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.2% · 17,048
- Black or African American29.8% · 8,308
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,266
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 814
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 176
Timeline
Historical Census data for Childs
Childs 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
#1,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,359
+1,093 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 9.61
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#1,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,853
-506 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 9.32
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,178 | 27,266 | 10.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,242 | 28,359 | 9.61 | +1,093 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #1,241 | 27,853 | 9.32 | -506 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 1 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 Childs 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 | #1,242 | #1,241 | 0.1% |
| Count | 28,359 | 27,853 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.61 | 9.32 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Childs bearers went from 28,359 to 27,853 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,242 to #1,241.
FAQ
Childs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Childs?
Name Census estimates that about 31,940 living Americans carry the surname Childs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,731 residents.
How common is Childs?
Childs ranks #1,241 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,853 people with the surname Childs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Childs.
Has Childs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Childs went from 28,359 recorded bearers to 27,853. That is a decrease of 506 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,242 to #1,241.
What does the Census say about the background of Childs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Childs, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Black (29.8%) 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 Childs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (17,048 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Childs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.2%), Black (29.8%), 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 Childs (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 Childs mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of children, likely an orphanage worker or foster parent. 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 Childs (9.32 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 common is the surname Childs?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Childs at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.