2000
#3,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.93
Uncommon Last name
Agee
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "edge" or "point," likely referring to a sharp or keen person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,978 Americans carry the last name Agee. That puts it at #3,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Agee 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
12K
1 in 28,615
Census rank
#3,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,445 bearers of the surname Agee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Agee, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Agee
The surname Agee is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Aggi. This name is believed to have its roots in the Anglo-Saxon era, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries AD. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Agge, found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
Agee is thought to have originated in the county of Lincolnshire, England, where the name was first established. It was initially a personal name before evolving into a hereditary surname during the late medieval period. Some of the early recorded instances of the surname include Robert Agge, listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and William Agge, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
The name Agee has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Agg's Hill in Gloucestershire and Agge's Meadow in Wiltshire. These place names may have influenced the surname's evolution or been named after early bearers of the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Agee was Sir William Agee (c. 1490-1555), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire. Another notable figure was James Agee (1909-1955), an American novelist, poet, screenwriter, and film critic, best known for his novel "A Death in the Family" and his influential film criticism.
Other historical figures bearing the surname Agee include:
1. John Agee (1701-1782), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Tennessee.
2. Jared Agee (1784-1848), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee.
3. Mary Towne Agee (1806-1884), an American educator and pioneer in the field of deaf education.
4. Rufus Agee (1838-1924), an American Confederate soldier and lawyer.
5. John Treadwell Agee (1840-1916), an American jurist and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
While the surname Agee is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Agee
Among Census respondents with the surname Agee, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Agee 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 Agee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.5% · 6,944
- Black or African American25.6% · 2,678
- Two or more races4.3% · 453
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 283
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Agee
Agee 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
#3,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,857
+262 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.68
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#3,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,445
-412 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.49
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,126 | 10,595 | 3.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,304 | 10,857 | 3.68 | +262 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #3,358 | 10,445 | 3.49 | -412 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 54 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 Agee 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 | #3,304 | #3,358 | -1.6% |
| Count | 10,857 | 10,445 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.68 | 3.49 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Agee bearers went from 10,857 to 10,445 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,304 to #3,358.
FAQ
Agee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Agee?
Name Census estimates that about 11,978 living Americans carry the surname Agee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,615 residents.
How common is Agee?
Agee ranks #3,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,445 people with the surname Agee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,978), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Agee.
Has Agee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Agee went from 10,857 recorded bearers to 10,445. That is a decrease of 412 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,304 to #3,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Agee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Agee, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Agee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (6,944 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Agee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.5%), Black (25.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Agee (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 Agee mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "edge" or "point," likely referring to a sharp or keen person. 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 Agee (3.49 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 Americans have the surname Agee?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.