Ansell last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Ansell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ansell.

Meaning of Ansell

Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ánsell, meaning "god's helmet" or "one protected by the gods."

Ansell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ansell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ansell in America

Ansell is the 14096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ansell surname appeared 2,132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ansell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ansell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 14096 14168 -0.51%
Count 2,132 1,945 9.17%
Proportion per 100k 0.72 0.72 0.00%

The history of the last name Ansell

The surname Ansell originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English personal name Ansel, which was a diminutive of the Germanic name Anselm, meaning "divine protection." The name was first recorded in Hampshire, where the earliest records show it as a habitational name from any of the numerous places named with the Old English word "ansetl," meaning a hermitage or a secluded valley.

The Domesday Book, completed in 1086, contains several references to individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Anselmus and Anselmius. In the 12th century, the surname appeared in various records as Ansell, Ansill, and Annsell, indicating its widespread use across England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, which mentions a William Ansell. Another early bearer of the name was Roger Ansell, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

The surname Ansell has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir John Ansell (1597-1654) was a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War. William Ansell (1624-1694) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects.

In the 18th century, John Ansell (1724-1796) was a renowned English clockmaker known for his innovative designs and precision timepieces. James Ansell (1779-1846) was a British artist and portrait painter who exhibited his works at the Royal Academy.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir Edward Ansell (1839-1912), a British lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Straits Settlements (now Singapore and Malaysia) from 1899 to 1905.

The Ansell surname has a rich history rooted in the medieval English landscape and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including lawyers, clergymen, artists, and clockmakers, over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ansell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ansell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ansell was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.73% 1,977
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.36% 29
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.56% 12
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.66% 14
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.88% 40
Hispanic Origin 2.81% 60

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ansell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.73% 95.42% -2.86%
Black 1.36% 1.39% -2.18%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.56% 0.46% 19.61%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.66% 0.31% 72.16%
Two or More Races 1.88% 0.98% 62.94%
Hispanic 2.81% 1.44% 64.47%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ansell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ansell, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Ansell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ansell-surname-popularity/.

"Ansell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ansell-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Ansell last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ansell-surname-popularity/.

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