2000
#13,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Amy
A French surname derived from the Old French personal name Amé, which means "beloved" or "friend."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,229 Americans carry the last name Amy. That puts it at #14,681 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,770 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amy 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 Amy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,770
Census rank
#14,681
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,944 bearers of the surname Amy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14681st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amy
The surname Amy originates from the French region of Normandy, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "amé," meaning "beloved" or "friend." The name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who was well-liked or had an amiable personality.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England, there are several entries for individuals with the name Amy or similar spellings, such as Amis or Ami. This suggests that the name was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Amy was Robert Amy, a landowner in Gloucestershire, England, who lived during the late 12th century. Another notable person was Sir John Amy, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War.
In the 13th century, the name Amy was also associated with several place names in England, such as Amyas Crofte in Wiltshire and Amyas in Hertfordshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or from individuals who had taken the name as their own.
During the Renaissance period, there were several notable figures with the surname Amy, including the English poet and playwright John Amy (c. 1550-1617) and the French philosopher and theologian Pierre Amy (1558-1641).
Other historical figures with the surname Amy include:
1. Robert Amy (c. 1580-1655), an English politician and member of Parliament.
2. John Amy (c. 1620-1688), an English Puritan minister and writer.
3. Jacques Amy (1638-1719), a French architect and engineer.
4. William Amy (1726-1798), an English Baptist minister and writer.
5. François-Désiré Amy (1776-1828), a French general during the Napoleonic Wars.
While the surname Amy has its roots in Normandy and was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and the influence of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amy
Among Census respondents with the surname Amy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Amy 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 Amy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 1,441
- Black or African American11.8% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 132
- Two or more races4.3% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amy
Amy 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
#14,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,045
+5 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 929 places
2020
#14,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,944
-101 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,641 | 2,040 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,570 | 2,045 | 0.69 | +5 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 929 places |
| 2020 | #14,681 | 1,944 | 0.65 | -101 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 111 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 Amy 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 | #14,570 | #14,681 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,045 | 1,944 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.65 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amy bearers went from 2,045 to 1,944 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,570 to #14,681.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Amy
FAQ
Amy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,229 living Americans carry the surname Amy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,770 residents.
How common is Amy?
Amy ranks #14,681 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,944 people with the surname Amy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Amy.
Has Amy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amy went from 2,045 recorded bearers to 1,944. That is a decrease of 101 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,570 to #14,681.
What does the Census say about the background of Amy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Amy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (1,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (11.8%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Amy (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 Amy mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French personal name Amé, which means "beloved" or "friend." 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 Amy (0.65 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 are called Amy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Amy at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.