2000
#11,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,596
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Armistead
A locational surname referring to someone from Armistead, a place in Yorkshire, England, meaning "hermitage" or "resting place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,861 Americans carry the last name Armistead. That puts it at #11,971 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Armistead 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 Armistead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,802
Census rank
#11,971
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,495 bearers of the surname Armistead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11971st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Armistead, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Armistead
The surname Armistead originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "eormen" meaning "entire" and "stede" meaning "place" or "homestead." It was a toponymic surname given to someone who lived at a particular homestead or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Ermested" in reference to a landowner in Norfolk. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Armistead.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, indicating that it was particularly prevalent in these northern counties of England. Historical documents from this period mention individuals such as Richard de Ermested (1220) and William de Armistead (1285).
The Armistead family held lands and properties in various parts of England, including the manor of Armistead in Cheshire, which was likely the namesake of the surname. Notable figures from this lineage include Sir John Armistead (1527-1593), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Yorkshire.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, George Armistead (1636-1697) was a prominent loyalist who fought for King Charles I. He later settled in Virginia, where his descendants became influential in colonial America.
Among the notable American Armisteads was Lewis Addison Armistead (1817-1863), a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded while leading an assault against Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Other notable individuals with the surname Armistead include Samuel Armistead (1744-1818), a merchant and planter in Virginia, and George Armistead (1780-1818), who commanded Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and was responsible for the successful defense that inspired the writing of the "Star-Spangled Banner."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Armistead
Among Census respondents with the surname Armistead, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Armistead 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 Armistead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 1,985
- Black or African American12.3% · 306
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 87
- Two or more races3.5% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Armistead
Armistead 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
#12,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,528
-68 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
2020
#11,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
-33 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,197 | 2,596 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,296 | 2,528 | 0.86 | -68 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,099 places |
| 2020 | #11,971 | 2,495 | 0.83 | -33 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 325 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 Armistead 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 | #12,296 | #11,971 | 2.6% |
| Count | 2,528 | 2,495 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.83 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Armistead bearers went from 2,528 to 2,495 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,296 to #11,971.
FAQ
Armistead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Armistead?
Name Census estimates that about 2,861 living Americans carry the surname Armistead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,802 residents.
How common is Armistead?
Armistead ranks #11,971 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,495 people with the surname Armistead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,861), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Armistead.
Has Armistead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Armistead went from 2,528 recorded bearers to 2,495. That is a decrease of 33 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,296 to #11,971.
What does the Census say about the background of Armistead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Armistead, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Armistead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (1,985 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Armistead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Armistead (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 Armistead mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Armistead, a place in Yorkshire, England, meaning "hermitage" or "resting place." 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 Armistead (0.83 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 Americans have the surname Armistead?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.