2000
#2,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.90
Uncommon Last name
Ellsworth
From an English place name meaning "Elli's enclosure," derived from the Old English personal name "Elli" and "worth" (enclosure).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,546 Americans carry the last name Ellsworth. That puts it at #2,601 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellsworth 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.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 22,048
Census rank
#2,601
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,557 bearers of the surname Ellsworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2601st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellsworth
The surname Ellsworth is of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "Ella's worth" or "Ella's farm." It dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era, around the 5th to 11th centuries. The name originated in various parts of England, including Norfolk, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest known records of the name Ellsworth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears spelled as "Elleswurthe" and is associated with landowners in Norfolk and Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the name Ellsworth was recorded in various forms, such as "Ellesworth," "Elsworth," and "Elleswurthe." These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and local dialects over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Ellsworth throughout history include:
1. Oliver Ellsworth (1745-1807), an American lawyer, politician, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He served as the third Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
2. Henry Leavitt Ellsworth (1791-1858), an American lawyer, politician, and the first Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, serving from 1835 to 1845.
3. Elmer Ellsworth (1837-1861), a Union officer and the first officer to be killed in the American Civil War. He was also a friend of President Abraham Lincoln.
4. Lincoln Ellsworth (1880-1951), an American explorer, aviator, and polar scientist. He was the first person to fly across the Antarctic continent in 1935.
5. Robert Ellsworth (1923-2021), an American diplomat and art collector, known for his extensive collection of Asian art, particularly Chinese sculptures and ceramics.
The name Ellsworth has also been associated with various place names in the United States, such as Ellsworth, Maine, and Ellsworth County in Kansas, likely named after early settlers with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellsworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 11,799
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 541
- Two or more races3.8% · 518
- Black or African American3.3% · 446
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 124
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellsworth
Ellsworth 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
#2,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,813
+600 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.68
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#2,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,557
-256 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.54
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,506 | 13,213 | 4.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,611 | 13,813 | 4.68 | +600 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #2,601 | 13,557 | 4.54 | -256 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 10 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 Ellsworth 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 | #2,611 | #2,601 | 0.4% |
| Count | 13,813 | 13,557 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.68 | 4.54 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellsworth bearers went from 13,813 to 13,557 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,611 to #2,601.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ellsworth
FAQ
Ellsworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellsworth?
Name Census estimates that about 15,546 living Americans carry the surname Ellsworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,048 residents.
How common is Ellsworth?
Ellsworth ranks #2,601 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,557 people with the surname Ellsworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,546), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Ellsworth.
Has Ellsworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellsworth went from 13,813 recorded bearers to 13,557. That is a decrease of 256 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,611 to #2,601.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellsworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ellsworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (11,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellsworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ellsworth (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 Ellsworth mean?
From an English place name meaning "Elli's enclosure," derived from the Old English personal name "Elli" and "worth" (enclosure). 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 Ellsworth (4.54 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 Ellsworth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.