2000
#8,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Disney
An English surname derived from the French place name "Isigny," meaning "from Isigny."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,933 Americans carry the last name Disney. That puts it at #9,143 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Disney 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 Disney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 87,148
Census rank
#9,143
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,430 bearers of the surname Disney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9143rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Disney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Disney
The surname Disney originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French surname "d'Isigny", which referred to someone who came from the town of Isigny in Normandy, France. Over time, the spelling evolved to become Disney.
The earliest known record of the Disney name dates back to the 13th century in Oxfordshire, England. A record from 1292 mentions a William de Isney who held lands in that county. The name also appears in Lancashire, where a Roger de Isney is mentioned in documents from 1324.
In the 14th century, there are references to the Disney family owning lands and properties in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. A John Disney was listed as a landowner in Inglesham, Berkshire, in 1327. Around the same time, a Robert Disney is recorded as holding property in Stewkley, Buckinghamshire.
The Disney surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a Norman landowner named Isney or Isigny who held estates in Essex and Suffolk after the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Disney surname was Sir William Disney (c.1400-1460), a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses.
Another notable early Disney was Sir Edward Disney (1519-1608), who served as Groom of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a Member of Parliament for Berkshire and held lands in Lincolnshire.
In the 17th century, Reverend John Disney (1677-1729) was an Anglican clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham. He was also a chaplain to King George I.
During the American Revolutionary War, Reverend John Disney (1746-1816), the great-grandson of Reverend John Disney, served as a chaplain in the Continental Army and was present at the Battle of Yorktown.
In the 19th century, David Theophilus Disney (1803-1857) was a British artist and painter who exhibited works at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Disney
Among Census respondents with the surname Disney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Disney 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 Disney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 2,984
- Two or more races4.8% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 151
- Black or African American2.5% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Disney
Disney 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
#9,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,631
+136 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 343 places
2020
#9,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,430
-201 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,663 | 3,495 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,006 | 3,631 | 1.23 | +136 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 343 places |
| 2020 | #9,143 | 3,430 | 1.15 | -201 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 137 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 Disney 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 | #9,006 | #9,143 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,631 | 3,430 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.15 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Disney bearers went from 3,631 to 3,430 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,006 to #9,143.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Disney
FAQ
Disney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Disney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,933 living Americans carry the surname Disney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,148 residents.
How common is Disney?
Disney ranks #9,143 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,430 people with the surname Disney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Disney.
Has Disney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Disney went from 3,631 recorded bearers to 3,430. That is a decrease of 201 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,006 to #9,143.
What does the Census say about the background of Disney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Disney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Disney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (2,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Disney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Disney (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 Disney mean?
An English surname derived from the French place name "Isigny," meaning "from Isigny." 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 Disney (1.15 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 Disney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.