2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scarcliff
A topographic surname indicating someone who lived near a cliff or rocky outcrop.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Scarcliff. That puts it at #148,347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scarcliff 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.
Scarcliff appeared in the 2010 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#148,347
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Scarcliff in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scarcliff
The surname SCARCLIFF has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a steep cliff or rocky outcrop. The prefix "scar" is an Old English word meaning a bare, rocky place or cliff, while the suffix "clif" or "cliff" is a well-known term for a steep rock face or precipice.
Records indicate that the earliest known bearers of this surname were from the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire, where the rugged landscape features many such cliffs and rock formations. The name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or on a prominent scarcliff.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the SCARCLIFF surname is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which lists a John de Scarcliff as a resident of the village of Knaresborough. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the SCARCLIFF name appears in various parish records and manorial documents across northern England. A notable example is William Scarcliff, born in 1543 in Giggleswick, Yorkshire, who was a prominent landowner and magistrate.
During the English Civil War of the 17th century, a Captain John Scarcliff is recorded as having fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was involved in several battles and later settled in Lancashire after the war.
In the 18th century, the SCARCLIFF surname spread to other parts of England, with some bearers migrating to London and the surrounding areas. One such individual was James Scarcliff, born in 1712 in Yorkshire, who became a successful merchant and trader in the capital.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Scarcliff, born in 1789 in Lancashire, who was a prominent campaigner for women's rights and suffrage in the early 19th century. She was a vocal advocate for educational reform and the abolition of slavery.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many SCARCLIFFs moved to urban centers and industrial towns, seeking employment in factories and mills. However, the name remained most concentrated in its traditional strongholds of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scarcliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Scarcliff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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 Scarcliff surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7%
- Hispanic or Latino8.1%
- Unknown or suppressed7.2%
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scarcliff
Scarcliff appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-6 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 15,233 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
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Scarcliff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20002010
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #133,114 | #148,347 | -11.4% |
| Count | 117 | 111 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Scarcliff bearers went from 117 to 111 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 15,233 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,114 to #148,347.
FAQ
Scarcliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scarcliff?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Scarcliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Scarcliff?
Scarcliff ranks #148,347 in the 2010 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 2010 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Scarcliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Scarcliff.
Has Scarcliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2000 and 2010, the surname Scarcliff went from 117 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,114 to #148,347.
What does the Census say about the background of Scarcliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%). These figures come from the 2010 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 Scarcliff in the 2010 Census, accounting for 84.7%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scarcliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2010 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (8.1%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Scarcliff appears here with 2010 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Scarcliff mean?
A topographic surname indicating someone who lived near a cliff or rocky outcrop. 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 2010 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 Scarcliff (0.04 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 Scarcliff?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Scarcliff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.