2000
#3,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.37
Rare Last name
Ainsworth
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Ægen's enclosure" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,933 Americans carry the last name Ainsworth. That puts it at #3,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ainsworth 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ainsworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,507
Census rank
#3,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,662 bearers of the surname Ainsworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ainsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ainsworth
The surname Ainsworth originates from England and dates back to the early medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "ān" meaning "one" and "worth" meaning "an enclosed settlement or homestead." The name likely refers to a single farm or homestead located in one of the villages or towns named Ainsworth.
The earliest known record of the surname Ainsworth appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a census and survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book contains entries for individuals with the name Aineswrde and Ainesworde, which are early spellings of Ainsworth.
In the 13th century, the surname Ainsworth was documented in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1246, where a person named Adam de Aynsworth was mentioned. The name was also recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, which listed a John de Aynsworth.
One of the earliest known instances of the surname Ainsworth is found in the chronicles of the Cistercian Abbey of Whalley in Lancashire, where a monk named Richard Ainsworth was recorded in the late 14th century.
Over the centuries, the surname Ainsworth has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882), an English historical novelist and writer best known for his novels "Rookwood" and "The Tower of London."
2. Ralph Ainsworth (1698-1773), an English Unitarian minister and educator who established a dissenting academy in Bolton, Lancashire.
3. Robert Ainsworth (1660-1743), an English lexicographer and compiler of dictionaries, including the influential "Thesaurus Linguae Latinae Compendiarius."
4. John Ainsworth (1556-1622), an English religious reformer and one of the earliest separatists from the Church of England, who advocated for congregational church governance.
5. Henry Ainsworth (1571-1622), an English Nonconformist Brownist minister and Hebraist, known for his annotations on the Pentateuch and the Book of Psalms.
The surname Ainsworth has also been associated with various place names in England, such as the town of Ainsworth in Greater Manchester, which was historically part of Lancashire. The name has also been recorded in different spellings, including Aynsworth, Ainesworth, and Aynswrth, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ainsworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Ainsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ainsworth 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 Ainsworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 7,496
- Black or African American4.3% · 373
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 349
- Two or more races3.5% · 303
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ainsworth
Ainsworth 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
#3,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,149
+47 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#3,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,662
-487 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,585 | 9,102 | 3.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,874 | 9,149 | 3.10 | +47 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #3,972 | 8,662 | 2.90 | -487 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 98 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 Ainsworth 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 | #3,874 | #3,972 | -2.5% |
| Count | 9,149 | 8,662 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.10 | 2.90 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ainsworth bearers went from 9,149 to 8,662 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,874 to #3,972.
FAQ
Ainsworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ainsworth?
Name Census estimates that about 9,933 living Americans carry the surname Ainsworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,507 residents.
How common is Ainsworth?
Ainsworth ranks #3,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 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 8,662 people with the surname Ainsworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 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 Ainsworth.
Has Ainsworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ainsworth went from 9,149 recorded bearers to 8,662. That is a decrease of 487 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,874 to #3,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Ainsworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ainsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Ainsworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (7,496 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ainsworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Ainsworth (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 Ainsworth mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Ægen's enclosure" in Old English. 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 Ainsworth (2.90 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 have the last name Ainsworth?
You can see how many people have the surname Ainsworth on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.