2000
#8,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Attaway
Derived from a place name meaning "at the way," referring to someone who lived near a road or path.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,690 Americans carry the last name Attaway. That puts it at #9,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,887 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Attaway 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 Attaway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,887
Census rank
#9,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,218 bearers of the surname Attaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Attaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Attaway
The surname Attaway is believed to have originated in England, with roots tracing back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "æt," meaning "at," and the word "weg," meaning "way" or "path." It's likely that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a well-traveled road or path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, dated 1198, where a William Attewaye is mentioned. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, referring to a Richard Atteway.
During the 13th century, the name was also found in various forms, such as Ateweye, Atteweye, and Attwaye, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. These early records suggest that the name was primarily concentrated in the southern and central regions of England.
In the 14th century, the name Attaway appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a John Atteway is recorded in 1327. Around the same time, a Thomas Attewaye is mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1334.
One notable historical figure bearing the Attaway surname was Sir John Attaway, a Member of Parliament for Wigan in 1554 during the reign of Queen Mary I. Records indicate that he was born in 1520 and played a significant role in local politics during the turbulent years of the English Reformation.
Another individual of note was William Attaway, who was born in 1635 in Somerset, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his descendants later emigrated to the American colonies in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Attaway surname appeared in the parish records of Gloucestershire, where a Robert Attaway was born in 1712. Later, in the 19th century, a John Attaway, born in 1823 in Oxfordshire, became a renowned scholar and author, publishing several works on English literature and history.
Throughout the centuries, the Attaway surname has been associated with various place names, such as Attaway Farm in Worcestershire and Attaway's Green in Somerset, further reinforcing the name's English origins and geographic connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Attaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Attaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Attaway 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 Attaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 2,419
- Black or African American14.4% · 462
- Two or more races5.1% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Attaway
Attaway 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
#9,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,534
+171 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#9,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,218
-316 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 426 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,938 | 3,363 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,222 | 3,534 | 1.20 | +171 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #9,648 | 3,218 | 1.08 | -316 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 426 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 Attaway 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 | #9,222 | #9,648 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,534 | 3,218 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.08 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Attaway bearers went from 3,534 to 3,218 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 426 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,222 to #9,648.
FAQ
Attaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Attaway?
Name Census estimates that about 3,690 living Americans carry the surname Attaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,887 residents.
How common is Attaway?
Attaway ranks #9,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,218 people with the surname Attaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,690), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Attaway.
Has Attaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Attaway went from 3,534 recorded bearers to 3,218. That is a decrease of 316 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,222 to #9,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Attaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Attaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Attaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (2,419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Attaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (14.4%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Attaway (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 Attaway mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the way," referring to someone who lived near a road or path. 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 Attaway (1.08 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 Attaway?
You can see how many people have the last name Attaway on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.