2000
#9,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,993
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Adkison
Anglicized form of the Scottish surname Atkinson, meaning "son of Atkin," a diminutive of Adam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,378 Americans carry the last name Adkison. That puts it at #10,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,467 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adkison 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
3.4K
1 in 101,467
Census rank
#10,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,946 bearers of the surname Adkison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adkison, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adkison
The surname Adkison has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ad" meaning "at" and "cyc" meaning "oak," referring to someone who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a person named Radulphus Adekynessone is mentioned. This suggests that the surname had already been in use by that time, possibly originating even earlier in the previous century.
During the medieval period, the surname was often spelled in various ways, including Adekyn, Adekin, and Adkin, reflecting the variations in local dialects and scribal practices. These alternative spellings provide insight into the name's evolution over time.
The Adkison surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Robert Adkison, born in 1552 in Oxfordshire, England. He served as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company, a prestigious military organization in London.
Another prominent figure was William Adkison, born in 1621 in Yorkshire, England. He was a merchant and a member of the East India Company, playing a significant role in the expansion of British trade in the Indian subcontinent during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, John Adkison, born in 1734 in Warwickshire, England, gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and horologist. His timepieces were highly sought after and are now considered valuable antiques.
Moving into the 19th century, Elizabeth Adkison, born in 1805 in Gloucestershire, England, made her mark as an educator and author. She published several books on teaching methods and advocated for the advancement of education for women.
Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals with the Adkison surname was George Adkison, born in 1879 in Lancashire, England. He was a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Manchester, including the Manchester Central Library and the Midland Hotel.
While the Adkison surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by generations of descendants and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adkison
Among Census respondents with the surname Adkison, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Adkison 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 Adkison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 2,486
- Black or African American7.4% · 218
- Two or more races4.1% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adkison
Adkison 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
#10,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,196
+203 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#10,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,946
-250 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,945 | 2,993 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,085 | 3,196 | 1.08 | +203 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #10,410 | 2,946 | 0.99 | -250 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 325 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 Adkison 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 | #10,085 | #10,410 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,196 | 2,946 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.99 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adkison bearers went from 3,196 to 2,946 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,085 to #10,410.
FAQ
Adkison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adkison?
Name Census estimates that about 3,378 living Americans carry the surname Adkison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,467 residents.
How common is Adkison?
Adkison ranks #10,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,946 people with the surname Adkison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Adkison.
Has Adkison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adkison went from 3,196 recorded bearers to 2,946. That is a decrease of 250 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,085 to #10,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Adkison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adkison, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Adkison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (2,486 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adkison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Adkison (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 Adkison mean?
Anglicized form of the Scottish surname Atkinson, meaning "son of Atkin," a diminutive of Adam. 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 Adkison (0.99 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 Adkison?
See how many people have the surname Adkison on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.