2000
#12
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 762,394
First available Census row
Per 100,000 282.62
Very Common Last name
Anderson
An patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders" or "son of Andrew," derived from the Greek name "Andreas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 867,567 Americans carry the last name Anderson. That puts it at #15 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 253.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anderson 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 Anderson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
868K
1 in 395
Census rank
#15
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
253.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
757K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 756,560 bearers of the surname Anderson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 253.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anderson
The surname Anderson is of Scottish and English origin, derived from the patronymic name "Andr's son" or "Andrew's son". The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century and was initially spelled as "Andree", "Andreu", or "Androw".
Anderson is a common surname in Scotland, with a high concentration in the counties of Fife, Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire. The name can be traced back to the early 13th century when it appeared in records such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where Robertus Andree was listed as a landowner in Berwickshire.
In England, the earliest recorded instance of the name Anderson dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it was listed as "Andreu". The name was also found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where it was spelled as "Andreu".
Some notable historical figures with the surname Anderson include James Anderson (1662-1728), a Scottish writer and historian who published works on Scottish history and agriculture. Andrew Anderson (1570-1624) was a Scottish minister and one of the translators of the King James Bible.
Another prominent figure was Alexander Anderson (1582-1620), a Scottish mathematician and writer who published works on algebra and geometry. In the United States, Richard Clough Anderson Jr. (1788-1826) was an American officer in the War of 1812 and served as the first U.S. Minister to Panama.
Robert Anderson (1805-1871) was a British officer who played a crucial role in the Crimean War and later served as the Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Anderson.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anderson
Among Census respondents with the surname Anderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Anderson 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 Anderson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 549,415
- Black or African American18.4% · 139,255
- Two or more races4.1% · 30,883
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 26,253
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5,714
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5,040
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anderson
Anderson 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
#15
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 784,404
+22,010 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 265.92
Rank movement Down 3 places
2020
#15
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 756,560
-27,844 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 253.12
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12 | 762,394 | 282.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15 | 784,404 | 265.92 | +22,010 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 3 places |
| 2020 | #15 | 756,560 | 253.12 | -27,844 bearers (-3.5%) | No rank change |
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 Anderson 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 | #15 | #15 | 0.0% |
| Count | 784,404 | 756,560 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 265.92 | 253.12 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anderson bearers went from 784,404 to 756,560 (-3.5% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #15.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Anderson
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Anthony Anderson
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Brad Anderson
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Brady Anderson
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Brian Anderson
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Derek Anderson
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Donny Anderson
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Garret Anderson
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Gillian Anderson
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Jeff Anderson
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Judith Anderson
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Juliet Anderson
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Kevin Anderson
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Lindsay Anderson
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Loni Anderson
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Marian Anderson
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Marlon Anderson
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Matt Anderson
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Melissa Anderson
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Melody Anderson
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Michael Anderson
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Morten Anderson
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Otis Anderson
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Pamela Anderson
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Paul Anderson
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Poul Anderson
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Richard Anderson
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Sparky Anderson
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Steve Anderson
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Wes Anderson
FAQ
Anderson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anderson?
Name Census estimates that about 867,567 living Americans carry the surname Anderson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 395 residents.
How common is Anderson?
Anderson ranks #15 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 253.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 253 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 756,560 people with the surname Anderson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (867,567), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 253.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 253.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 253 of them to have the surname Anderson.
Has Anderson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anderson went from 784,404 recorded bearers to 756,560. That is a decrease of 27,844 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it stayed at #15.
What does the Census say about the background of Anderson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Anderson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (549,415 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anderson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Black (18.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Anderson (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 Anderson mean?
An patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders" or "son of Andrew," derived from the Greek name "Andreas." 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 Anderson (253.12 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 share the surname Anderson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.