2000
#14,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,945
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Ansell
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ánsell, meaning "god's helmet" or "one protected by the gods."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,199 Americans carry the last name Ansell. That puts it at #14,834 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ansell 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 Ansell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,868
Census rank
#14,834
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,918 bearers of the surname Ansell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14834th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ansell
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ansell 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 Ansell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,755
- Two or more races3.7% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 43
- Black or African American1.4% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ansell
Ansell 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
#14,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,132
+187 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 72 places
2020
#14,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,918
-214 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 738 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,168 | 1,945 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,096 | 2,132 | 0.72 | +187 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 72 places |
| 2020 | #14,834 | 1,918 | 0.64 | -214 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 738 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 Ansell 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 | #14,096 | #14,834 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,132 | 1,918 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.64 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ansell bearers went from 2,132 to 1,918 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 738 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,096 to #14,834.
FAQ
Ansell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ansell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,199 living Americans carry the surname Ansell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,868 residents.
How common is Ansell?
Ansell ranks #14,834 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,918 people with the surname Ansell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,199), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Ansell.
Has Ansell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ansell went from 2,132 recorded bearers to 1,918. That is a decrease of 214 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,096 to #14,834.
What does the Census say about the background of Ansell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Ansell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ansell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Ansell (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 Ansell mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ánsell, meaning "god's helmet" or "one protected by the gods." 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 Ansell (0.64 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 have the last name Ansell?
See how many people have the last name Ansell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.