2000
#880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,839
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.29
Uncommon Last name
Estes
Derived from Old English, referring to someone living near the eastern boundary of a settlement or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,825 Americans carry the last name Estes. That puts it at #989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Estes 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
40K
1 in 8,607
Census rank
#989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,729 bearers of the surname Estes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Estes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Estes
The surname Estes traces its roots to England, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "east," meaning the cardinal direction east. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived in an eastern region or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Estede," referring to a place name in Norfolk, England. The spelling variations "Ested" and "Estide" were also common in medieval records.
During the 13th century, the surname began to appear in its modern form, "Estes," in various counties across England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire. It is believed that the name was initially a locative surname, given to individuals residing in areas with names containing the word "east."
Noteworthy historical figures bearing the Estes surname include Sir Walter Estes, a prominent English landowner and knight who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable individual was John Estes, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, England, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Estes family established itself in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Thomas Estes, who settled in Virginia in 1635. His descendants later migrated to various parts of the United States, contributing to the spread of the surname across the country.
Another influential figure was Josiah Estes (1699-1778), a colonial American soldier and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress during the American Revolutionary War. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the new nation.
In the 19th century, William Estes (1820-1889) was a renowned American lawyer and politician from Mississippi. He served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and was a prominent figure in the state's legal circles.
Throughout its history, the surname Estes has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Estesparke in Gloucestershire, England, and Estes Park, a picturesque town in Colorado, United States, named after the Estes family who were early settlers in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Estes
Among Census respondents with the surname Estes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Estes 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 Estes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 28,851
- Black or African American6.9% · 2,403
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,495
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,320
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 435
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 225
Timeline
Historical Census data for Estes
Estes 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
#956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,318
+479 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 12.31
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,729
-1,589 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 11.62
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #880 | 35,839 | 13.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #956 | 36,318 | 12.31 | +479 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #989 | 34,729 | 11.62 | -1,589 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 33 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 Estes 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 | #956 | #989 | -3.5% |
| Count | 36,318 | 34,729 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.31 | 11.62 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Estes bearers went from 36,318 to 34,729 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #956 to #989.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Estes
FAQ
Estes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Estes?
Name Census estimates that about 39,825 living Americans carry the surname Estes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,607 residents.
How common is Estes?
Estes ranks #989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,729 people with the surname Estes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,825), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Estes.
Has Estes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Estes went from 36,318 recorded bearers to 34,729. That is a decrease of 1,589 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #956 to #989.
What does the Census say about the background of Estes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Estes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) 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 Estes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (28,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Estes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (6.9%), 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 Estes (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 Estes mean?
Derived from Old English, referring to someone living near the eastern boundary of a settlement or region. 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 Estes (11.62 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 Americans have the surname Estes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.