2000
#13,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Amey
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "ami," meaning "friend" or "beloved."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,445 Americans carry the last name Amey. That puts it at #13,606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,186 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amey 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 Amey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,186
Census rank
#13,606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,132 bearers of the surname Amey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amey, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amey
The surname Amey originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French and Middle English word "amy," which means "friend" or "beloved." This name was likely first used as a nickname for someone who was considered a close friend or a beloved person.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Amey surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where it was spelled as "Ami." This suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 12th century.
Amey is also believed to be a variant of the French surname "Ami," which has a similar meaning and origin. The Ami surname is documented in France as early as the 11th century, and it's possible that some early bearers of the Amey name were of French descent or had French ancestry.
In the 13th century, the surname Amey appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it was recorded as "Amye." This record indicates that the name had spread to different parts of England by that time.
The Amey surname can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Ameye in Gloucestershire and Amye in Wiltshire. These place names likely contributed to the development and regional variations of the surname.
Notable historical figures with the surname Amey include:
1. William Amey (c. 1560-1641), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stamford in the early 17th century.
2. John Amey (1660-1741), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Samuel Amey (1710-1789), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London.
4. Thomas Amey (1701-1788), an English mathematician and surveyor who contributed to the field of navigation and surveying.
5. Elizabeth Amey (1779-1857), an English author and poet who wrote under the pseudonym "Gertrude."
These examples demonstrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have borne the surname Amey throughout the centuries in England and other parts of the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amey
Among Census respondents with the surname Amey, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Amey 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 Amey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.1% · 1,068
- Black or African American39.4% · 841
- Two or more races5.7% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amey
Amey 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
#13,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,304
+189 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#13,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,132
-172 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,233 | 2,115 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,251 | 2,304 | 0.78 | +189 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #13,606 | 2,132 | 0.71 | -172 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 355 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 Amey 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 | #13,251 | #13,606 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,304 | 2,132 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.71 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amey bearers went from 2,304 to 2,132 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 355 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,251 to #13,606.
FAQ
Amey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,445 living Americans carry the surname Amey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,186 residents.
How common is Amey?
Amey ranks #13,606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,132 people with the surname Amey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Amey.
Has Amey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amey went from 2,304 recorded bearers to 2,132. That is a decrease of 172 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,251 to #13,606.
What does the Census say about the background of Amey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amey, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Amey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (1,068 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.1%), Black (39.4%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Amey (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 Amey mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "ami," meaning "friend" or "beloved." 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 Amey (0.71 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 Amey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.