2000
#11,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Acuff
Derived from the Middle English personal name "Acuff," likely meaning "edge of the oak forest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,502 Americans carry the last name Acuff. That puts it at #13,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Acuff 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
2.5K
1 in 136,992
Census rank
#13,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,182 bearers of the surname Acuff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Acuff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Acuff
The surname ACUFF is believed to have originated in England, potentially derived from the Old English word "acufe," meaning "acorn." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an oak tree or a place where acorns were plentiful.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ACUFF surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled "Akuffe." This historical document, compiled during the reign of King Edward I, contains records of landowners and their tenants throughout England.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Acuffe," "Accuffe," and "Akuffe," in various records and manuscripts from different parts of England, indicating the name's widespread presence throughout the country.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property ownership in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the ACUFF surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the formation of the surname, such as "Acornbury" and "Acorn Green."
One of the earliest known individuals with the ACUFF surname was John Acuff, born around 1450 in Somerset, England. He was a prominent landowner and local magistrate during the reign of King Henry VII.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Acuff, born in 1602 in Gloucestershire, England. She was a renowned herbalist and author of the book "The English Herbary," published in 1648, which documented the medicinal properties of various plants native to England.
In the 18th century, the ACUFF surname gained prominence in the American colonies, particularly in Virginia and the Carolinas. One of the earliest recorded individuals was William Acuff, born in 1720 in Virginia, who served as a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the ACUFF surname, including Samuel Acuff, born in 1832 in Tennessee. He was a renowned Baptist minister and founder of the Acuff Bible College, which later became Union University.
Another significant figure was Rachel Acuff, born in 1856 in Georgia. She was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights, serving as the first female principal of the Georgia Normal and Industrial College (now Georgia College & State University).
Throughout history, the ACUFF surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, soldiers, artists, and scholars, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical narratives across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acuff
Among Census respondents with the surname Acuff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Acuff 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 Acuff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 1,926
- Black or African American4.4% · 95
- Two or more races3.7% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Acuff
Acuff 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
#12,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
-17 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 961 places
2020
#13,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,182
-276 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,632 | 2,475 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,593 | 2,458 | 0.83 | -17 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 961 places |
| 2020 | #13,357 | 2,182 | 0.73 | -276 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 764 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 Acuff 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 | #12,593 | #13,357 | -6.1% |
| Count | 2,458 | 2,182 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.73 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Acuff bearers went from 2,458 to 2,182 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 764 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,593 to #13,357.
FAQ
Acuff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Acuff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,502 living Americans carry the surname Acuff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,992 residents.
How common is Acuff?
Acuff ranks #13,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,182 people with the surname Acuff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,502), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Acuff.
Has Acuff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Acuff went from 2,458 recorded bearers to 2,182. That is a decrease of 276 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,593 to #13,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Acuff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Acuff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Acuff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (1,926 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Acuff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Acuff (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 Acuff mean?
Derived from the Middle English personal name "Acuff," likely meaning "edge of the oak forest." 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 Acuff (0.73 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 Acuff?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Acuff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.