2000
#1,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,861
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.70
Uncommon Last name
England
A locational surname indicating ancestral origins in the country of England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,545 Americans carry the last name England. That puts it at #1,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the England 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 England with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,532
Census rank
#1,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,381 bearers of the surname England in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname England, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of England
The surname England is of English origin, derived from the name of the country itself. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages as a locational surname, initially assigned to individuals who hailed from or resided in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Richard de Englelande. This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive phrase "of England" before evolving into a hereditary surname.
Throughout the medieval period, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, often with spelling variations such as Englelande, Engelande, and Englande. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings during that era, as standardization was not yet established.
The surname's origins can be traced back to the Old English word "Englaland," which referred to the land inhabited by the Angles, a Germanic tribe that settled in central, northern, and eastern parts of what is now England during the 5th and 6th centuries.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname England include:
1. Sir George England (1592-1644), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
2. John England (c. 1486-1558), an English clergyman who served as Bishop of Lincoln from 1551 until his death.
3. Thomas England (c. 1635-1691), an English settler in Maryland and one of the founders of the town of Annapolis.
4. John England (1786-1842), an Irish-born prelate who became the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina.
5. Eustace England (c. 1330-1399), an English knight and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names in England, such as England's Wood in Hertfordshire and England's Hill in Buckinghamshire, further underscoring its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for England
Among Census respondents with the surname England, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how England 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 England surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 24,192
- Black or African American5.2% · 1,466
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,234
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 953
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 357
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 179
Timeline
Historical Census data for England
England 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
#1,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,926
+1,065 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 10.15
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#1,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,381
-1,545 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 9.50
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,113 | 28,861 | 10.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,174 | 29,926 | 10.15 | +1,065 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #1,220 | 28,381 | 9.50 | -1,545 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 46 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 England 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 | #1,174 | #1,220 | -3.9% |
| Count | 29,926 | 28,381 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 10.15 | 9.50 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of England bearers went from 29,926 to 28,381 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,174 to #1,220.
FAQ
England surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname England?
Name Census estimates that about 32,545 living Americans carry the surname England. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,532 residents.
How common is England?
England ranks #1,220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,381 people with the surname England. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname England.
Has England become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname England went from 29,926 recorded bearers to 28,381. That is a decrease of 1,545 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,174 to #1,220.
What does the Census say about the background of England?
Among Census respondents with the surname England, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 England in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (24,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
England appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 England (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 England mean?
A locational surname indicating ancestral origins in the country of England. 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 England (9.50 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 England?
See how many people have the surname England on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.