2000
#1,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.62
Uncommon Last name
Darling
An English surname derived from the Old English word "deorling," meaning a beloved or dear one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,865 Americans carry the last name Darling. That puts it at #1,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Darling 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 Darling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,427
Census rank
#1,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,195 bearers of the surname Darling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Darling, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Darling
The surname Darling is an English name derived from the Old English word "deorling", meaning "beloved one" or "darling". This term of endearment was originally a diminutive form of the word "deor", meaning "dear". The name was likely first used to refer to a cherished family member or perhaps a newborn child.
The earliest known record of the surname Darling dates back to the 13th century in the county of Hampshire, England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Robert Darling, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, which mentions a John Darling.
In the 14th century, the surname Darling appeared in various forms, including Derling, Durling, and Dyrling, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that period. One notable individual from this time was William Darling, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1332.
The surname Darling has been associated with several place names in England, such as Darlington in County Durham and Darlingscott in Worcestershire. These locations may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name, as people often adopted surnames based on the places they lived or were born.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Darling was Thomas Darling, an English dramatist and poet who lived from 1530 to 1595. Another noteworthy individual was Grace Darling, a celebrated English Victorian age heroine known for her bravery in rescuing survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838.
Other notable individuals with the surname Darling include:
- Ralph Darling (1772-1858), a British colonial governor of New South Wales, Australia.
- Flora Darling (1827-1909), an American philanthropist and socialite.
- Jay Norwood Darling (1876-1962), an American cartoonist and conservationist who won the Pulitzer Prize.
- Sir Robert Darling (1880-1939), an Australian politician and judge.
While the surname Darling has its roots in England, it has since been widely adopted and can be found in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darling
Among Census respondents with the surname Darling, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Darling 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 Darling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 15,320
- Black or African American7.2% · 1,302
- Two or more races4.0% · 729
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 600
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 148
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Darling
Darling 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
#1,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,879
+1,024 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 6.40
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#1,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,195
-684 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 6.09
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,849 | 17,855 | 6.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,904 | 18,879 | 6.40 | +1,024 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #1,934 | 18,195 | 6.09 | -684 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 30 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 Darling 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 | #1,904 | #1,934 | -1.6% |
| Count | 18,879 | 18,195 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.40 | 6.09 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Darling bearers went from 18,879 to 18,195 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,904 to #1,934.
FAQ
Darling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Darling?
Name Census estimates that about 20,865 living Americans carry the surname Darling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,427 residents.
How common is Darling?
Darling ranks #1,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,195 people with the surname Darling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Darling.
Has Darling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Darling went from 18,879 recorded bearers to 18,195. That is a decrease of 684 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,904 to #1,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Darling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Darling, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Darling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (15,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Darling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (7.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Darling (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 Darling mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "deorling," meaning a beloved or dear one. 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 Darling (6.09 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 are called Darling?
Want to know how many people have the surname Darling? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.