2000
#1,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.16
Uncommon Last name
Street
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a road or pathway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,166 Americans carry the last name Street. That puts it at #1,819 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Street 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 Street with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,463
Census rank
#1,819
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,330 bearers of the surname Street in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1819th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Street, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Street
The surname STREET has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "stræt," which means a paved road or street. The name likely originated as a descriptive term referring to someone who lived near or worked on a street or road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STREET surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population conducted on the orders of William the Conqueror. This historical record includes several references to individuals with the name STREET or similar spellings, such as Strete or Strat.
During the Middle Ages, the STREET surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire in southern England. The name was also associated with various place names, such as Street in Somerset and Stratton in Cornwall, which may have influenced its geographical distribution.
One notable figure with the STREET surname was Sir Ralph Street (c. 1500-1600), an English courtier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Thomas Street (1625-1696), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
In the 17th century, the STREET surname appeared in the records of early settlers in the American colonies. One example is Nicholas Street (c. 1603-1674), an English colonist who settled in New Haven, Connecticut, and served as the town's first tax collector.
Later examples of notable individuals with the STREET surname include Richard Stephens Street (1786-1860), an English artist and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural prints, and George Edmund Street (1824-1881), a renowned English architect and designer of many churches and public buildings in the Gothic Revival style.
Throughout history, the STREET surname has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diverse experiences of those who bore this name. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the STREET surname has since spread worldwide and continues to hold significance as a part of many family histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Street
Among Census respondents with the surname Street, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Street 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 Street surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 13,778
- Black or African American19.9% · 3,850
- Two or more races4.2% · 806
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 586
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 125
Timeline
Historical Census data for Street
Street 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
#1,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,866
+544 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 6.73
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#1,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,330
-536 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 6.47
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,701 | 19,322 | 7.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,805 | 19,866 | 6.73 | +544 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #1,819 | 19,330 | 6.47 | -536 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 14 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 Street 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 | #1,805 | #1,819 | -0.8% |
| Count | 19,866 | 19,330 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.73 | 6.47 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Street bearers went from 19,866 to 19,330 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,805 to #1,819.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Street
FAQ
Street surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Street?
Name Census estimates that about 22,166 living Americans carry the surname Street. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,463 residents.
How common is Street?
Street ranks #1,819 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,330 people with the surname Street. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Street.
Has Street become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Street went from 19,866 recorded bearers to 19,330. That is a decrease of 536 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,805 to #1,819.
What does the Census say about the background of Street?
Among Census respondents with the surname Street, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Street in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (13,778 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Street appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Street (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 Street mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a road or pathway. 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 Street (6.47 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 Street?
Want to know how many people have the surname Street? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.