2000
#3,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Ammons
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Ammon, which means "faithful" or "builder" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,647 Americans carry the last name Ammons. That puts it at #4,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ammons 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
9.6K
1 in 35,530
Census rank
#4,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,413 bearers of the surname Ammons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ammons, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ammons
The surname Ammons is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Amous. This name is believed to have originated in the counties of Kent and Sussex, where it was first recorded in the 12th century.
The name Ammons is thought to be a variant spelling of the name Amos, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Amos, meaning "borne by God" or "carried by God". The earliest recorded instance of the surname Ammons dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John Amous residing in Kent.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, which mentions a William Amousse. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 also list a Thomas Amys, which is likely another variation of the same name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Ammons, a wealthy landowner from Kent who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records in 1420. Another notable figure was William Ammons, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Thetford in Norfolk in 1554.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Ammons spread across various parts of England, with records showing families bearing the name in counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Gloucestershire. One prominent individual was Robert Ammons, a renowned theologian and author who lived in Gloucestershire from 1589 to 1663.
In the 18th century, the name Ammons gained further recognition with the birth of Henry Ammons (1738-1812), a successful merchant and philanthropist from London. Another notable figure was John Ammons (1772-1842), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Bristol.
Throughout history, the surname Ammons has been associated with various professions and achievements, from landowners and politicians to authors and architects. While the name may have derived from a simple personal name, it has left an indelible mark on the historical records of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ammons
Among Census respondents with the surname Ammons, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ammons 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 Ammons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 6,165
- Black or African American17.4% · 1,464
- Two or more races4.5% · 375
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 231
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ammons
Ammons 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
#3,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,904
+382 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#4,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,413
-491 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,828 | 8,522 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,989 | 8,904 | 3.02 | +382 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #4,087 | 8,413 | 2.81 | -491 bearers (-5.5%) | 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 Ammons 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 | #3,989 | #4,087 | -2.5% |
| Count | 8,904 | 8,413 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.02 | 2.81 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ammons bearers went from 8,904 to 8,413 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,989 to #4,087.
FAQ
Ammons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ammons?
Name Census estimates that about 9,647 living Americans carry the surname Ammons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,530 residents.
How common is Ammons?
Ammons ranks #4,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 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 8,413 people with the surname Ammons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 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 Ammons.
Has Ammons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ammons went from 8,904 recorded bearers to 8,413. That is a decrease of 491 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,989 to #4,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Ammons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ammons, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Ammons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (6,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ammons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (17.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Ammons (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 Ammons mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Ammon, which means "faithful" or "builder" in Hebrew. 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 Ammons (2.81 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 Ammons?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ammons? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.