2000
#8,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Anson
Derived from the name of an English village, likely meaning "Anne's son" or "Hann's son."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,222 Americans carry the last name Anson. That puts it at #8,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,183 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anson 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 Anson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,183
Census rank
#8,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,682 bearers of the surname Anson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anson
Among Census respondents with the surname Anson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Anson 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 Anson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 3,045
- Black or African American4.9% · 180
- Two or more races4.3% · 157
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anson
Anson 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
#8,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,079
+348 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 48 places
2020
#8,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,682
-397 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 449 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,176 | 3,731 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,128 | 4,079 | 1.38 | +348 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 48 places |
| 2020 | #8,577 | 3,682 | 1.23 | -397 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 449 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 Anson 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 | #8,128 | #8,577 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,079 | 3,682 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.23 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anson bearers went from 4,079 to 3,682 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 449 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,128 to #8,577.
FAQ
Anson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,222 living Americans carry the surname Anson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,183 residents.
How common is Anson?
Anson ranks #8,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,682 people with the surname Anson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Anson.
Has Anson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anson went from 4,079 recorded bearers to 3,682. That is a decrease of 397 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,128 to #8,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Anson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Anson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (3,045 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Anson (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 Anson mean?
Derived from the name of an English village, likely meaning "Anne's son" or "Hann's son." 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 Anson (1.23 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 common is the surname Anson?
You can see how many people are called Anson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.