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

Anson, 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 Anson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Anson in America

Anson is the 8128th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Anson surname appeared 4,079 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 Anson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Anson 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.

The history of the last name Anson

The surname Anson originated in England, deriving from the Old English words 'anse' meaning ridge or promontory and 'tun' meaning settlement or town. It likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hill. The name can be traced back to the 12th century in various spellings such as Anneson, Annesone, and Annysoun.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anson appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, mentioning a William Annesone. In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire listed a Richard de Annesone, suggesting the name may have originated from a place called Anson or Anneson.

The Anson surname is also connected to the village of Anston in South Yorkshire, which was known as Anneston in the Domesday Book of 1086. This place name likely influenced the spelling and derivation of the surname.

One notable figure with the Anson surname was George Anson (1697-1762), a British admiral who led a famous voyage around the world from 1740 to 1744. His exploits were chronicled in the book "A Voyage Round the World" by Richard Walter, which became a bestseller.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Anson (1772-1847), a British lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1835 to 1844.

In the literary world, Peter Frederick Anson (1796-1882) was an English poet and essayist, known for his contributions to the Quarterly Review and other publications.

The Anson name also has a connection to the peerage, with the Earls of Lichfield bearing the surname. The first Earl, Thomas Anson (1695-1773), was a prominent politician and diplomat during the reigns of George I and George II.

Lastly, George Edward Anson (1855-1927) was a British explorer and author, best known for his travels in Africa and his book "Upon the Confines of the Kingdom of Congo."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Anson

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

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 Anson was:

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 Anson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Anson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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