2000
#6,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Constantine
Of Latin origin, meaning "steadfast" or "constant," likely referring to an ancestor's resolute character or unwavering faith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,832 Americans carry the last name Constantine. That puts it at #6,430 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Constantine 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 Constantine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,771
Census rank
#6,430
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,086 bearers of the surname Constantine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6430th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Constantine, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Constantine
The surname Constantine originated from the Roman name Constantinus, which was derived from the Latin word 'constans' meaning constant, steadfast, or persevering. This name has its roots in the late 3rd century AD during the rule of the Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus.
The name gained prominence with the rise of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor who ruled from 306 to 337 AD. He was instrumental in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and is credited with establishing Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul, as the new capital of the Roman Empire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Constantine was widely used across Europe, particularly in regions that were once part of the Byzantine Empire or had strong ties to the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was popular among the nobility and ruling classes in countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Constantine can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in England. The name appears as 'Constantinius' in this record.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Constantine Manasses wrote a historical chronicle titled the 'Synopsis Chroniki', which chronicled events from the creation of the world to the reign of Nicephorus Botaniates in 1081 AD.
During the 13th century, a renowned Byzantine scholar and theologian named Constantine Acropolites lived from around 1210 to 1292 AD. He served as a judge and governor under the Nicaean Empire and wrote several works on history, theology, and rhetoric.
In the 15th century, a Greek scholar named Constantine Lascaris (1434-1501) was instrumental in the revival of Greek learning in Italy during the Renaissance. He taught Greek at various Italian universities and helped establish the Greek printing press in Milan.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Constantine Phaulkon (1647-1688), a Greek adventurer who rose to become the Prime Minister of Siam (modern-day Thailand) in the late 17th century, before falling out of favor and being executed.
The name Constantine also has a strong presence in Eastern Europe, with notable figures like Constantine Brancovenau (1654-1714), a Prince of Wallachia (modern-day Romania), and Constantine Pavlovich Romanov (1779-1831), a Grand Duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Constantine
Among Census respondents with the surname Constantine, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Constantine 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 Constantine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 3,988
- Black or African American11.7% · 593
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 228
- Two or more races3.3% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Constantine
Constantine 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
#6,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,272
+203 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#6,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,086
-186 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,214 | 5,069 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,441 | 5,272 | 1.79 | +203 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #6,430 | 5,086 | 1.70 | -186 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 11 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 Constantine 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 | #6,441 | #6,430 | 0.2% |
| Count | 5,272 | 5,086 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.70 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Constantine bearers went from 5,272 to 5,086 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,441 to #6,430.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Constantine
FAQ
Constantine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Constantine?
Name Census estimates that about 5,832 living Americans carry the surname Constantine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,771 residents.
How common is Constantine?
Constantine ranks #6,430 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,086 people with the surname Constantine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,832), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Constantine.
Has Constantine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Constantine went from 5,272 recorded bearers to 5,086. That is a decrease of 186 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,441 to #6,430.
What does the Census say about the background of Constantine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Constantine, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (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 Constantine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (3,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Constantine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (11.7%), Hispanic (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 Constantine (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 Constantine mean?
Of Latin origin, meaning "steadfast" or "constant," likely referring to an ancestor's resolute character or unwavering faith. 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 Constantine (1.70 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 Constantine?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.