2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Athill
A geographical surname alluding to a hill or elevated location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Athill. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Athill 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Athill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Athill, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Athill
The surname Athill is of English origin, derived from a locational name for someone who came from a place called Athill. The name is thought to have originated in the 11th century, and is believed to be a combination of the Old English words "æt" meaning "at" and "hyll" meaning "hill."
The earliest recorded instance of the name Athill dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Athehill." This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
Throughout the Middle Ages, various spellings of the name were used, including Athyll, Atthyll, and Atylle. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, where there were several places called Athill or variations thereof.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Athill, a 14th-century English soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
In the 16th century, the Athill family established themselves as landowners in the village of Arborfield in Berkshire. The Athill family held the manor of Arborfield for several generations, and several of its members were prominent in local affairs.
Another influential figure was Sir John Athill, a 17th-century politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Reading. He was a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
During the 18th century, the name Athill was also found in Ireland, where it was likely introduced by English settlers. One notable Irish bearer of the name was Thomas Athill, a 19th-century author and historian who wrote extensively on the topography and antiquities of Ireland.
In the 19th century, the Athill family continued to be active in public life. Sir George Athill-Pursglove was a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in action.
Throughout its history, the surname Athill has maintained its connection to its locational origins, serving as a reminder of the rich tapestry of English place names and their enduring influence on family names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Athill
Among Census respondents with the surname Athill, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Athill 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 Athill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.4% · 96
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- White4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Athill
Athill appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+14 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 12,533 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 Athill 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 | #156,044 | #143,511 | 8.0% |
| Count | 104 | 118 | 13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Athill bearers went from 104 to 118 (+13.5% change). The surname moved up 12,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #143,511.
FAQ
Athill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Athill?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Athill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Athill?
Athill ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Athill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Athill.
Has Athill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Athill went from 104 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 14 (+13.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Athill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Athill, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Athill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Athill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.4%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Athill (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 Athill mean?
A geographical surname alluding to a hill or elevated location. 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 Athill (0.04 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 Athill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.