2000
#456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.40
Uncommon Last name
Strickland
From an Old English place name meaning "pasture land with a strick or rope walk."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,915 Americans carry the last name Strickland. That puts it at #517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,701 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strickland 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 Strickland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
73K
1 in 4,701
Census rank
#517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,585 bearers of the surname Strickland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strickland, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strickland
The surname Strickland has its roots in the northern English county of Westmorland, now part of modern-day Cumbria. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the Old English words "stric" meaning a strike or boundary line, and "land" referring to a piece of cultivated land or territory.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Stricland." This entry likely refers to a village or hamlet within the broader region of Westmorland, indicating that the name was already well-established by the time of the Norman conquest.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Strikeland, Stricklan, and Stricklande, before settling into its modern form of Strickland. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies of early record-keeping.
One notable figure bearing the Strickland name was Walter de Strickland (c. 1310 - c. 1389), a prominent English knight and landowner during the 14th century. He served as a member of parliament and was appointed as the Sheriff of Westmorland in 1365.
Another distinguished individual was Agnes Strickland (1796 - 1874), an English historical writer and poet. She is best known for her acclaimed work, "The Lives of the Queens of England," a multi-volume series chronicling the lives of English monarchs from the Norman conquest to the reign of Queen Anne.
Sir Gerald Strickland (1861 - 1940), a British politician and colonial administrator, held various influential positions, including Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1904 to 1909 and Governor of Western Australia from 1909 to 1917.
The name Strickland has also been associated with notable literary figures, such as Marjorie Kinnan Strickland (1899 - 1998), an American novelist and short story writer, best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, "The Yearling."
In the United States, one of the earliest documented instances of the Strickland name dates back to the 17th century, with the arrival of William Strickland (1637 - 1717) in New England. He later became one of the founders of the town of Hadley, Massachusetts.
Throughout its long history, the surname Strickland has maintained a strong connection to its English origins, while spreading to various parts of the world through migration and exploration. Its enduring presence serves as a testament to the rich tapestry of cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the evolution of surnames over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strickland
Among Census respondents with the surname Strickland, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Strickland 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 Strickland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 46,606
- Black or African American16.9% · 10,765
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,811
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 1,792
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 1,257
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 354
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strickland
Strickland 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
#494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,769
+1,955 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 22.97
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,585
-4,184 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 21.27
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #456 | 65,814 | 24.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #494 | 67,769 | 22.97 | +1,955 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #517 | 63,585 | 21.27 | -4,184 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 23 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 Strickland 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 | #494 | #517 | -4.7% |
| Count | 67,769 | 63,585 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 22.97 | 21.27 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strickland bearers went from 67,769 to 63,585 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #494 to #517.
FAQ
Strickland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strickland?
Name Census estimates that about 72,915 living Americans carry the surname Strickland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,701 residents.
How common is Strickland?
Strickland ranks #517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,585 people with the surname Strickland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Strickland.
Has Strickland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strickland went from 67,769 recorded bearers to 63,585. That is a decrease of 4,184 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #494 to #517.
What does the Census say about the background of Strickland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strickland, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Strickland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (46,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strickland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (16.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Strickland (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 Strickland mean?
From an Old English place name meaning "pasture land with a strick or rope walk." 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 Strickland (21.27 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 Strickland?
You can see how many people are called Strickland on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.