2000
#32
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 463,368
First available Census row
Per 100,000 171.77
Very Common Last name
Allen
Derived from a Celtic personal name meaning "harmony, stone, or noble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 533,896 Americans carry the last name Allen. That puts it at #35 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 155.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 642 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Allen 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 Allen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
534K
1 in 642
Census rank
#35
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
155.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
466K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 465,583 bearers of the surname Allen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 155.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Allen, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Allen
The surname Allen is of English origin, deriving from an ancient English pre-7th century word "alor" or "aller", meaning a meadow or valley. It is also believed to have derived from the Old English words "alor" or "aler", meaning a haunter of meadows or valleys.
The name Allen is thought to have first appeared in the English counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire during the 11th century. Early records show variations in spelling such as Alen, Alain, Alayn, and Allyn.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Allen can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Alain" and "Alanus". This suggests that the name was already well-established in England at the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, records show an Allen family holding lands in the village of Allen, near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. This village likely took its name from the surname, indicating the presence of the Allen family in the area at that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Allen throughout history include William Allen (c.1532-1594), an English cardinal and founder of the English College in Douai, France. Another prominent figure was Ethan Allen (1738-1789), an American Revolutionary War patriot and leader of the Green Mountain Boys.
Other historical figures include:
- William Allen (1770-1843), an American statesman and president of Bowdoin College.
- Richard Allen (1760-1831), an American minister and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849), an American writer and poet known for his Gothic literature.
- Viola Allen (1867-1948), an American stage actress renowned for her Shakespearean roles.
The Allen surname has been widely dispersed throughout the English-speaking world, with many bearers tracing their roots back to England. It continues to be a common surname in countries with significant British ancestry, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Allen
Among Census respondents with the surname Allen, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Allen 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 Allen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.8% · 301,607
- Black or African American25.6% · 119,112
- Two or more races4.6% · 21,635
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 16,476
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3,608
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3,145
Timeline
Historical Census data for Allen
Allen 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
#33
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 482,607
+19,239 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 163.61
Rank movement Down 1 places
2020
#35
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465,583
-17,024 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 155.77
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32 | 463,368 | 171.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33 | 482,607 | 163.61 | +19,239 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 1 places |
| 2020 | #35 | 465,583 | 155.77 | -17,024 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 2 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 Allen 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 | #33 | #35 | -6.1% |
| Count | 482,607 | 465,583 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 163.61 | 155.77 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Allen bearers went from 482,607 to 465,583 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #33 to #35.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Allen
FAQ
Allen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Allen?
Name Census estimates that about 533,896 living Americans carry the surname Allen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 642 residents.
How common is Allen?
Allen ranks #35 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 155.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 156 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 465,583 people with the surname Allen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (533,896), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 155.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 155.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 156 of them to have the surname Allen.
Has Allen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Allen went from 482,607 recorded bearers to 465,583. That is a decrease of 17,024 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #33 to #35.
What does the Census say about the background of Allen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Allen, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Allen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.8% (301,607 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Allen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.8%), Black (25.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Allen (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 Allen mean?
Derived from a Celtic personal name meaning "harmony, stone, or noble." 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 Allen (155.77 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 surname Allen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.