2000
#1,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.07
Uncommon Last name
Temple
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked at or lived near a temple or church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,453 Americans carry the last name Temple. That puts it at #1,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Temple 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 Temple with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,017
Census rank
#1,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,324 bearers of the surname Temple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Temple, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Temple
The surname Temple has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "temple," which itself comes from the Latin "templum," meaning a consecrated space or building. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a temple or church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Temple can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, which mention a Richard de Templo. The Pipe Rolls were a record of financial accounts kept by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I.
The surname Temple is also found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a survey of landowners in England commissioned by King Edward I. The Hundred Rolls mention a John del Temple and a Robert de Temple, both living in Oxfordshire at the time.
Over the centuries, the surname Temple has been recorded with various spellings, including Tempill, Tempyll, and Tempell. These variations were common before standardized spelling became more widespread.
One notable figure bearing the surname Temple was Sir William Temple (1628-1699), a renowned English diplomat and essayist. He played a significant role in the negotiation of the Triple Alliance between England, Sweden, and the Dutch Republic in 1668.
Another prominent individual was Sir Richard Temple (1638-1697), an English landowner and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1679 to 1681. He was also a member of the Privy Council under King Charles II.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Robert Temple (1611-1663), who was among the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. He served as a representative in the General Court of Massachusetts and was involved in the establishment of the town of Concord.
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784-1865), was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. He played a significant role in shaping British foreign policy during his tenure.
It is also worth noting that the surname Temple has been associated with various place names, such as Temple Guiting in Gloucestershire and Temple Balsall in Warwickshire, both of which likely derived their names from the presence of a church or religious establishment in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Temple
Among Census respondents with the surname Temple, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Temple 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 Temple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 16,416
- Black or African American14.3% · 3,054
- Two or more races4.2% · 906
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 673
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Temple
Temple 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
#1,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,549
+778 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 7.64
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,324
-1,225 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 7.13
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,507 | 21,771 | 8.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,590 | 22,549 | 7.64 | +778 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,638 | 21,324 | 7.13 | -1,225 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 48 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 Temple 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 | #1,590 | #1,638 | -3.0% |
| Count | 22,549 | 21,324 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.64 | 7.13 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Temple bearers went from 22,549 to 21,324 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,590 to #1,638.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Temple
FAQ
Temple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Temple?
Name Census estimates that about 24,453 living Americans carry the surname Temple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,017 residents.
How common is Temple?
Temple ranks #1,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,324 people with the surname Temple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Temple.
Has Temple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Temple went from 22,549 recorded bearers to 21,324. That is a decrease of 1,225 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,590 to #1,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Temple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Temple, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) 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 Temple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (16,416 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Temple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Black (14.3%), 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 Temple (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 Temple mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked at or lived near a temple or church. 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 Temple (7.13 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 Temple?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Temple? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.