2000
#1,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.13
Uncommon Last name
Emerson
Son of Emery, derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "brave" or "powerful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,554 Americans carry the last name Emerson. That puts it at #1,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emerson 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 Emerson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,215
Census rank
#1,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,261 bearers of the surname Emerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emerson
The surname Emerson has its origins in the Old English pre-7th century words "eamer" or "aemer", meaning a "person who had care of the horses". It is an occupational surname given to those who were employed as horse keepers or grooms. The earliest recorded spelling was found in the English Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1195 as "Edmarus le Emeressone".
Emerson is a name that has its roots in the northern English counties, particularly Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English "eamer" or "aemer" combined with the patronymic suffix "-son", meaning "son of the horse keeper". The name was also occasionally spelled as "Emmerson" or "Emersonne" in early records.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are references to "Aimarus" and "Aimarus le Aemer" in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, which are believed to be early variations of the surname Emerson.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Roger Emerson, who was recorded in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. Another early instance was William Emerson, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273.
The surname Emerson has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American essayist, philosopher, and poet who was a leading figure in the Transcendentalist movement.
Other notable Emersons include:
1. William Emerson (1701-1782), an English mathematician and architect.
2. Ralph Emerson (1787-1863), an American minister and father of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
3. William Emerson (1769-1811), an American minister and author, and the grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
4. Thomas Emerson (1638-1666), an English minister and settler in New England.
5. Michael Emerson (born 1954), an American actor known for his roles in various TV series, including "Lost" and "Person of Interest".
The surname Emerson has undergone variations in spelling over time, but its origins can be traced back to the Old English words related to horse keeping and the patronymic suffix "-son". It has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including literature, philosophy, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Emerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Emerson 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 Emerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 23,873
- Black or African American8.4% · 2,459
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,154
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,071
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 416
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 288
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emerson
Emerson 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
#1,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,702
+674 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 10.41
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#1,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,261
-1,441 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 9.79
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,066 | 30,028 | 11.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,145 | 30,702 | 10.41 | +674 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #1,182 | 29,261 | 9.79 | -1,441 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 37 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 Emerson 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 | #1,145 | #1,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 30,702 | 29,261 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 10.41 | 9.79 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emerson bearers went from 30,702 to 29,261 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,145 to #1,182.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Emerson
FAQ
Emerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emerson?
Name Census estimates that about 33,554 living Americans carry the surname Emerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,215 residents.
How common is Emerson?
Emerson ranks #1,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,261 people with the surname Emerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Emerson.
Has Emerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emerson went from 30,702 recorded bearers to 29,261. That is a decrease of 1,441 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,145 to #1,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Emerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Emerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (23,873 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Emerson (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 Emerson mean?
Son of Emery, derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "brave" or "powerful." 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 Emerson (9.79 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 common is the surname Emerson?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Emerson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.