2000
#9,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Ackerson
An English occupational surname referring to a ploughman or someone who works with agricultural tools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,278 Americans carry the last name Ackerson. That puts it at #10,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ackerson 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
3.3K
1 in 104,562
Census rank
#10,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,859 bearers of the surname Ackerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ackerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ackerson
The surname Ackerson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "ac" meaning oak, and "hyrst" meaning a wooded hill or ridge. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Acreshyrst," referring to a place name in Buckinghamshire. This suggests that the name was initially a locational surname, given to individuals who lived near or on an oak-covered ridge.
By the 13th century, variations of the name began to emerge, such as Acresherst, Acrysherst, and Akreshurst. These variations reflected the different dialectal pronunciations and spellings of the time. The modern spelling of Ackerson is thought to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Ackerson (1555-1619), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was William Ackerson (1610-1678), a Puritan settler who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and is considered one of the founding fathers of the town of Ipswich.
In the 18th century, the Ackerson family became prominent in New Jersey, with Abraham Ackerson (1720-1787) serving as a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War. His grandson, James Ackerson (1785-1862), was a successful businessman and landowner in Monmouth County.
Another notable individual was Emily Ackerson (1840-1925), an American educator and suffragist who worked tirelessly for women's rights and was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in New Jersey.
While the Ackerson surname is not particularly common, it has persisted throughout history, with bearers making significant contributions in various fields, from politics and business to education and social activism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ackerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ackerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ackerson 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 Ackerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 2,522
- Black or African American5.0% · 142
- Two or more races3.1% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ackerson
Ackerson 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
#9,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,264
+73 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 537 places
2020
#10,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,859
-405 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,365 | 3,191 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,902 | 3,264 | 1.11 | +73 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 537 places |
| 2020 | #10,674 | 2,859 | 0.96 | -405 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 772 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 Ackerson 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 | #9,902 | #10,674 | -7.8% |
| Count | 3,264 | 2,859 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 0.96 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ackerson bearers went from 3,264 to 2,859 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 772 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,902 to #10,674.
FAQ
Ackerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ackerson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,278 living Americans carry the surname Ackerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,562 residents.
How common is Ackerson?
Ackerson ranks #10,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,859 people with the surname Ackerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,278), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ackerson.
Has Ackerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ackerson went from 3,264 recorded bearers to 2,859. That is a decrease of 405 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,902 to #10,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Ackerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ackerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Ackerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (2,522 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ackerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Ackerson (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 Ackerson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a ploughman or someone who works with agricultural tools. 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 Ackerson (0.96 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 share the surname Ackerson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.