Affleck last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Affleck is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Affleck.

Meaning of Affleck

Derived from a place name meaning "oak tree ford" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence.

Affleck, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Affleck surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Affleck in America

Affleck is the 31184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Affleck surname appeared 744 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Affleck.

We can also compare 2010 data for Affleck to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 31184 32302 -3.52%
Count 744 672 10.17%
Proportion per 100k 0.25 0.25 0.00%

The history of the last name Affleck

The surname Affleck has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "ath" meaning "ford" and "leac" meaning "flat stone," suggesting a possible connection to a location where people or vehicles crossed a river or stream over flat stones.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Aylmer de Auelek," indicating its early spelling variations.

In the 15th century, the name was often recorded as "Auelek" or "Auffleck" in various Scottish charters and records. This spelling likely evolved into the modern form of "Affleck" over time.

The Affleck surname has been prominent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The name is associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including:

  1. Sir Robert Affleck (c. 1530-1588), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a Lord of the Privy Council during the reign of King James VI.
  2. Gilbert Affleck (1570-1637), a Scottish merchant and Provost of Aberdeen in the early 17th century.
  3. Edmund Affleck (1617-1675), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
  4. Sir Robert Affleck (1748-1828), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
  5. Thomas Affleck (1856-1923), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian Senate from 1901 to 1923.

The surname Affleck has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Affleck Castle in Ayrshire and the village of Affleck in Angus. These place names may have influenced the surname's development or been influenced by it.

While the Affleck surname has spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, its roots can be traced back to its Scottish origins, reflecting a rich history and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Affleck

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Affleck.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Affleck was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.28% 694
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.48% 11
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.48% 11
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.88% 14
Hispanic Origin 1.88% 14

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Affleck has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.28% 94.05% -0.82%
Black 1.48% 2.83% -62.65%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.48% 1.34% 9.93%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.88% 0.74% 87.02%
Hispanic 1.88% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Affleck was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Affleck, please contact us.

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"Affleck last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/affleck-surname-popularity/.

"Affleck last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/affleck-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 July, 2024

Affleck last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/affleck-surname-popularity/.

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