2000
#6,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Amerson
Derived from the personal name Emery, which means "brave" or "powerful," combined with the patronymic suffix -son.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,688 Americans carry the last name Amerson. That puts it at #6,560 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amerson 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
5.7K
1 in 60,259
Census rank
#6,560
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,960 bearers of the surname Amerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6560th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amerson
The surname Amerson is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Amerson or Amersham in Buckinghamshire. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "aemere" meaning "a marsh" and "ham" meaning "a homestead."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1275, where it appears as "de Amersham." This suggests that the name was initially associated with someone from the town of Amersham. Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms, such as Amerson, Ammerson, and Emmerson.
The name Amerson also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1327, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were present in the county during that period. Additionally, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 mention a John Amerson, providing further evidence of the name's usage in medieval England.
Notable individuals with the surname Amerson include Sir John Amerson (1545-1616), a prominent English landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another individual of note was William Amerson (1678-1741), a successful merchant and ship owner based in Bristol.
In the 18th century, the Amerson family established themselves as influential figures in the textile industry of Lancashire. Robert Amerson (1732-1809) was a renowned wool merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the town of Rochdale.
During the 19th century, the name Amerson gained recognition in the field of literature. Mary Amerson (1814-1887) was a celebrated novelist and poet, known for her works exploring themes of social injustice and women's rights.
While the surname Amerson has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by descendants of those who bore the name throughout history. However, the earliest records and references to the name can be traced back to the English counties of Buckinghamshire and Lancashire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Amerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Amerson 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 Amerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 2,954
- Black or African American31.2% · 1,549
- Two or more races5.0% · 249
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 157
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amerson
Amerson 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
#6,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,455
+575 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 161 places
2020
#6,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,960
-495 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,424 | 4,880 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,263 | 5,455 | 1.85 | +575 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 161 places |
| 2020 | #6,560 | 4,960 | 1.66 | -495 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 297 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 Amerson 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 | #6,263 | #6,560 | -4.7% |
| Count | 5,455 | 4,960 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.66 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amerson bearers went from 5,455 to 4,960 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 297 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,263 to #6,560.
FAQ
Amerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amerson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,688 living Americans carry the surname Amerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,259 residents.
How common is Amerson?
Amerson ranks #6,560 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,960 people with the surname Amerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,688), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Amerson.
Has Amerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amerson went from 5,455 recorded bearers to 4,960. That is a decrease of 495 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,263 to #6,560.
What does the Census say about the background of Amerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Amerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (2,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Black (31.2%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Amerson (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 Amerson mean?
Derived from the personal name Emery, which means "brave" or "powerful," combined with the patronymic suffix -son. 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 Amerson (1.66 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 Amerson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Amerson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.