2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Attenborough
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the brook by the town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Attenborough. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Attenborough 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 Attenborough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Attenborough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Attenborough, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Attenborough
The surname Attenborough has its origins in England, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "atten" meaning "at the" and "burgh" meaning "fortified dwelling" or "manor." The name is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or was associated with a specific fortified town or manor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions "Adeneberge" in Bedfordshire, which is likely an early spelling variation of the name Attenborough.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as Atteborough, Adenebergh, and Attenburghe. These variations reflect the fluidity of spelling and the influence of local dialects at the time.
The earliest known bearer of the Attenborough name was Sir William Attenborough, born around 1390 in Nottinghamshire, England. He served as a knight and landowner during the reign of Henry V.
In the 16th century, the Attenborough family was well-established in Nottinghamshire, with records indicating their presence in the village of Attenborough, which likely derived its name from the family.
One notable figure from this period was Sir John Attenborough (1516-1585), who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire and played a crucial role in the suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a rebellion against the English Reformation.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Attenborough name continued to spread across England, with families establishing themselves in various counties, including Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Warwickshire.
In the 19th century, Sir Richard Attenborough (1811-1892) became a prominent figure, serving as a British diplomat and colonial administrator in South Africa. He played a significant role in the establishment of British rule in the region.
Another notable bearer of the Attenborough name was Sir David Attenborough (1926-present), the world-renowned naturalist, broadcaster, and environmentalist. Born in London, Sir David has gained global recognition for his numerous nature documentaries and contributions to the understanding and preservation of the natural world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Attenborough
Among Census respondents with the surname Attenborough, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Attenborough 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 Attenborough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 11
- Black or African American8.3% · 9
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Attenborough
Attenborough 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,190 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-12 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,190 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 11,901 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 Attenborough 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 | #138,304 | #150,205 | -8.6% |
| Count | 121 | 109 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Attenborough bearers went from 121 to 109 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 11,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,205.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Attenborough
FAQ
Attenborough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Attenborough?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Attenborough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Attenborough?
Attenborough ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Attenborough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Attenborough.
Has Attenborough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Attenborough went from 121 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Attenborough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Attenborough, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (8.3%). 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 Attenborough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Attenborough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Hispanic (10.1%), Black (8.3%). 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 Attenborough (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 Attenborough mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the brook by the town". 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 Attenborough (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 people share the surname Attenborough?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.