2000
#2,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.49
Uncommon Last name
Churchill
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "church hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,521 Americans carry the last name Churchill. That puts it at #2,987 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Churchill 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 Churchill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,350
Census rank
#2,987
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,791 bearers of the surname Churchill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2987th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Churchill, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Churchill
The surname Churchill originated in England and dates back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "ceorla" and "hyll," meaning "the hill belonging to the freeman or peasant." The name is associated with several places in England, including Churchill in Somerset and Churchill in Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Chevresel" and refers to a place in Somerset. Other early spellings include "Cheritone" (1199) and "Churichull" (1227), reflecting the evolution of the name over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Churchill include:
1. Roger de Churchull (born around 1150), an English landowner mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1176.
2. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), a renowned English military leader and statesman, best known for his victories in the War of the Spanish Succession.
3. Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the famous British statesman, Prime Minister, and Nobel Prize laureate, who led Britain during World War II.
4. Charles Churchill (1732-1764), an English poet and satirist known for his biting criticism of contemporary figures and events.
5. Jennie Churchill (1854-1921), the American-born mother of Winston Churchill and a prominent socialite in her own right.
The name Churchill has also been associated with several place names, such as Churchill in Somerset, which was recorded as "Ceorlcyll" in the 10th century, and Churchill in Oxfordshire, mentioned as "Cercelle" in the Domesday Book.
Throughout history, the surname Churchill has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, military leaders, politicians, writers, and socialites, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who carried this historic name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Churchill
Among Census respondents with the surname Churchill, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Churchill 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 Churchill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 10,097
- Black or African American5.2% · 613
- Two or more races4.2% · 490
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 375
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Churchill
Churchill 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
#2,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,235
+127 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 4.15
Rank movement Down 195 places
2020
#2,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,791
-444 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.94
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,735 | 12,108 | 4.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,930 | 12,235 | 4.15 | +127 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 195 places |
| 2020 | #2,987 | 11,791 | 3.94 | -444 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 57 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 Churchill 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 | #2,930 | #2,987 | -1.9% |
| Count | 12,235 | 11,791 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.15 | 3.94 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Churchill bearers went from 12,235 to 11,791 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,930 to #2,987.
FAQ
Churchill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Churchill?
Name Census estimates that about 13,521 living Americans carry the surname Churchill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,350 residents.
How common is Churchill?
Churchill ranks #2,987 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,791 people with the surname Churchill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,521), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Churchill.
Has Churchill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Churchill went from 12,235 recorded bearers to 11,791. That is a decrease of 444 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,930 to #2,987.
What does the Census say about the background of Churchill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Churchill, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Churchill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (10,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Churchill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Churchill (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 Churchill mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "church hill." 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 Churchill (3.94 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 Churchill?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.