2000
#9,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Athey
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "at the hay" or "at the enclosure" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,332 Americans carry the last name Athey. That puts it at #10,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Athey 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 Athey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,867
Census rank
#10,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,906 bearers of the surname Athey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Athey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Athey
The surname Athey has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ætt," meaning "at the" or "near the," and the Old English word "hæth," meaning "heathland" or "uncultivated land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a heath or area of uncultivated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Athey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name is spelled as "Atti," which is likely an early variation of the modern spelling.
During the 13th century, the surname Athey began to appear in various historical records across England. In 1273, a record from the Hundred Rolls, a census-like survey of land ownership, mentions a "William Atteheth" from Lincolnshire. This spelling variation, "Atteheth," provides further evidence of the name's connection to the Old English words for "at the" and "heath."
Notable individuals with the surname Athey throughout history include:
1. Robert Athey (c. 1570 - 1640), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Eastlow, Cornwall, in the early 17th century.
2. John Athey (c. 1598 - 1659), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland during the mid-17th century.
3. Elizabeth Athey (c. 1640 - 1707), an English Quaker preacher and activist who was arrested and imprisoned multiple times for her religious activities in the late 17th century.
4. Thomas Athey (1762 - 1839), an English landscape painter and engraver known for his topographical views of various regions in England.
5. William Athey (1830 - 1912), a British railway engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam locomotive design in the late 19th century.
While the surname Athey has roots in England dating back to the 11th century, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through the process of immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Athey
Among Census respondents with the surname Athey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Athey 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 Athey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,607
- Two or more races3.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 90
- Black or African American2.9% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Athey
Athey 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
#9,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,329
+256 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 36 places
2020
#10,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,906
-423 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,700 | 3,073 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,736 | 3,329 | 1.13 | +256 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 36 places |
| 2020 | #10,529 | 2,906 | 0.97 | -423 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 793 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 Athey 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 | #9,736 | #10,529 | -8.1% |
| Count | 3,329 | 2,906 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 0.97 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Athey bearers went from 3,329 to 2,906 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 793 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,736 to #10,529.
FAQ
Athey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Athey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,332 living Americans carry the surname Athey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,867 residents.
How common is Athey?
Athey ranks #10,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,906 people with the surname Athey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,332), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Athey.
Has Athey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Athey went from 3,329 recorded bearers to 2,906. That is a decrease of 423 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,736 to #10,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Athey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Athey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Athey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,607 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Athey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Athey (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 Athey mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "at the hay" or "at the enclosure" in Old English. 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 Athey (0.97 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 Athey?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Athey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.