2000
#148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156,848
First available Census row
Per 100,000 58.14
Common Last name
Porter
An occupational surname referring to the gatekeeper of a town or castle, or a person who carries luggage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 179,715 Americans carry the last name Porter. That puts it at #165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 52.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,907 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Porter 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 Porter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
180K
1 in 1,907
Census rank
#165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
52.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
157K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 156,720 bearers of the surname Porter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 52.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Porter, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Porter
The surname PORTER originated in England and Scotland during the late 12th century. It derives from the Old French word "portier", meaning gatekeeper or door attendant. In medieval times, PORTERs were responsible for guarding the entrance to castles, monasteries, and towns. The name was likely first adopted as an occupational surname by individuals employed in this role.
The name is found in early English records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1181, which mention a Walter le Porter. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname, such as Henry le Porter from Oxfordshire. These historical documents provide some of the earliest recorded examples of the name in use.
Place names like Porter's Gate in Hertfordshire and Porter's Hill in Wiltshire may have derived their names from individuals bearing the PORTER surname who lived or worked in those areas. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Portour and Portoure, were common in early records.
Notable individuals with the surname PORTER include:
1. William PORTER (c. 1590-1659), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of Yale College in Connecticut.
2. Jane PORTER (1776-1850), a Scottish historical novelist best known for her work "The Scottish Chiefs".
3. Fitz-John PORTER (1822-1901), an American Civil War general who was court-martialed for his actions at the Second Battle of Bull Run.
4. Cole PORTER (1891-1964), an American composer and songwriter renowned for his contributions to musical theater, including classics like "Anything Goes" and "Night and Day".
5. Katherine Anne PORTER (1890-1980), an American journalist, essayist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of short stories and novels, including "Ship of Fools".
The surname PORTER has a long and storied history, originating from an occupational role in medieval England and Scotland. It has since been borne by notable figures across various fields, including religion, literature, military, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Porter
Among Census respondents with the surname Porter, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Porter 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 Porter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.2% · 103,795
- Black or African American24.3% · 38,030
- Two or more races4.6% · 7,272
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5,496
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,014
Timeline
Historical Census data for Porter
Porter 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
#159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163,054
+6,206 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 55.28
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156,720
-6,334 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 52.43
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148 | 156,848 | 58.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159 | 163,054 | 55.28 | +6,206 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #165 | 156,720 | 52.43 | -6,334 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 6 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 Porter 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 | #159 | #165 | -3.8% |
| Count | 163,054 | 156,720 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 55.28 | 52.43 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Porter bearers went from 163,054 to 156,720 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #159 to #165.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Porter
FAQ
Porter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Porter?
Name Census estimates that about 179,715 living Americans carry the surname Porter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,907 residents.
How common is Porter?
Porter ranks #165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 52.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 52 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 156,720 people with the surname Porter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (179,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 52.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 52.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 52 of them to have the surname Porter.
Has Porter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Porter went from 163,054 recorded bearers to 156,720. That is a decrease of 6,334 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #159 to #165.
What does the Census say about the background of Porter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Porter, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Porter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (103,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Porter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.2%), Black (24.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Porter (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 Porter mean?
An occupational surname referring to the gatekeeper of a town or castle, or a person who carries luggage. 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 Porter (52.43 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 Porter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.