2000
#66,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Present
A surname referring to someone who was present at a significant event.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 319 Americans carry the last name Present. That puts it at #74,891 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,074,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Present 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
319
1 in 1,074,465
Census rank
#74,891
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
278
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 278 bearers of the surname Present in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 74891st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Present, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Present
The surname PRESENT originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old French word "present," meaning "gift" or "offering." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a gift-bearer or messenger, perhaps delivering presents or important documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1203, which mention a William le Present. The use of the prefix "le" indicates that this was a descriptive nickname that eventually became a hereditary surname.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Presant and Presaunte, reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279 record a Richard Presaunt.
The PRESENT surname may also have some connection to the village of Present in West Yorkshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Presenzene." It's possible that the name originated as a locative surname for someone from this place.
Notable individuals bearing the PRESENT surname include:
1. William Present (c. 1490 - 1548), an English churchman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Suffolk.
2. John Present (1648 - 1724), a British colonial settler and landowner in Virginia, USA.
3. Mary Present (1756 - 1832), an English diarist and writer whose journals provide insights into 18th-century life.
4. James Present (1818 - 1892), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Present Trust for the education of underprivileged children.
5. Elizabeth Present (1876 - 1962), an American suffragist and activist for women's rights, known for her work in the early 20th century.
While the PRESENT surname is not among the most common in England or the United States today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and continues to be passed down through generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Present
Among Census respondents with the surname Present, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Present 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 Present surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 228
- Black or African American12.6% · 35
- Two or more races2.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Present
Present 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
#72,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
-8 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 5,656 places
2020
#74,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
+9 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,676 | 277 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72,332 | 269 | 0.09 | -8 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 5,656 places |
| 2020 | #74,891 | 278 | 0.09 | +9 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 2,559 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 Present 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 | #72,332 | #74,891 | -3.5% |
| Count | 269 | 278 | 3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | 3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Present bearers went from 269 to 278 (+3.3% change). The surname moved down 2,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #72,332 to #74,891.
FAQ
Present surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Present?
Name Census estimates that about 319 living Americans carry the surname Present. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,074,465 residents.
How common is Present?
Present ranks #74,891 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 278 people with the surname Present. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Present.
Has Present become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Present went from 269 recorded bearers to 278. That is an increase of 9 (+3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #72,332 to #74,891.
What does the Census say about the background of Present?
Among Census respondents with the surname Present, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Present in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Present appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Present (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 Present mean?
A surname referring to someone who was present at a significant event. 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 Present (0.09 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 Present?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Present on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.