2000
#2,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.87
Uncommon Last name
Andrew
A patronymic surname derived from the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "masculine."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,617 Americans carry the last name Andrew. That puts it at #2,751 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,449 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Andrew 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 Andrew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,449
Census rank
#2,751
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,747 bearers of the surname Andrew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2751st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Andrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Andrew
The surname Andrew originated in Scotland in the 12th century. It is derived from the Greek personal name Andreas, which means "manly" or "brave". The name was introduced to the British Isles by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
In Scotland, the name Andrew was often Anglicized from the Gaelic form "Gilleandrais" or "Gillandres". It was also spelled as "Andree", "Andreu", and "Androw" in early records. The earliest known bearer of the surname was Radulphus filius Andree, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166.
The name Andrew is found in several medieval manuscripts, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Andreas". It was also recorded in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Andrew is Sir Andrew de Moray, a Scottish knight who fought alongside William Wallace in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th century. Another notable bearer was Sir Andrew Ker of Cessford, who was appointed Warden of the Middle Marches in Scotland in 1526.
In the 16th century, the name was particularly prominent in the Scottish Borders region, where it was associated with several notable families, such as the Andrews of Pitcairlie and the Andrews of Murieston. The name was also found in other parts of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Andrew was borne by several prominent figures in Scottish history, including Sir Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1653-1716), a Scottish patriot and writer, and Andrew Michael Ramsay (1686-1743), a Scottish philosopher and writer.
Other notable bearers of the surname Andrew include John Andrew Doyle (1844-1907), an Irish writer and humorist, and Sir Archibald Edward Andrew (1835-1917), a British naval officer and explorer who served as the second Governor of the Straits Settlements (now part of Malaysia).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Andrew
Among Census respondents with the surname Andrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Andrew 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 Andrew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.4% · 8,591
- Black or African American13.8% · 1,761
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.9% · 755
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 734
- Two or more races3.6% · 464
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 442
Timeline
Historical Census data for Andrew
Andrew 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
#2,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,764
+619 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.67
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#2,751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,747
-1,017 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 4.26
Rank movement Down 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,521 | 13,145 | 4.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,617 | 13,764 | 4.67 | +619 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #2,751 | 12,747 | 4.26 | -1,017 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 134 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 Andrew 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 | #2,617 | #2,751 | -5.1% |
| Count | 13,764 | 12,747 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.67 | 4.26 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Andrew bearers went from 13,764 to 12,747 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,617 to #2,751.
FAQ
Andrew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Andrew?
Name Census estimates that about 14,617 living Americans carry the surname Andrew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,449 residents.
How common is Andrew?
Andrew ranks #2,751 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,747 people with the surname Andrew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,617), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Andrew.
Has Andrew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Andrew went from 13,764 recorded bearers to 12,747. That is a decrease of 1,017 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,617 to #2,751.
What does the Census say about the background of Andrew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Andrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%). 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 Andrew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (8,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Andrew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.4%), Black (13.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%). 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 Andrew (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 Andrew mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "masculine." 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 Andrew (4.26 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 Andrew?
Find out how many people are called Andrew on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.