2000
#7,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,320
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Aubrey
A Norman French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "elf ruler" or "supernatural power."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,983 Americans carry the last name Aubrey. That puts it at #7,397 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aubrey 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 Aubrey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,785
Census rank
#7,397
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,345 bearers of the surname Aubrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7397th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aubrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aubrey
The surname Aubrey has its origins in the Norman French language and is thought to have derived from the Old French personal name Aubri or Alberic, which in turn came from the Germanic name Alberich. The name is believed to have been introduced to Britain in the 11th century after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded instances of the Aubrey surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and estates across England and parts of Wales. Some of the earliest recorded spelling variations include Aubrey, Aubry, Aubrie, and Aubry.
The surname Aubrey has been associated with several notable historical figures over the centuries. One of the earliest was William d'Aubigny (c. 1109-1176), a Norman nobleman who served as Lord Steward to King Henry II of England. Another notable figure was John Aubrey (1626-1697), an English antiquary, naturalist, and writer who is best known for his biographical work "Brief Lives."
In the 13th century, the Aubrey name was linked to various place names in England, such as Aubrey's Wood in Buckinghamshire and Aubrey's Castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The latter was the ancestral home of the Aubrey family, who were among the most prominent Norman families in the region.
Other notable individuals bearing the Aubrey surname include John Aubrey (1785-1858), a Welsh lawyer and judge, and Thomas Aubrey (1808-1867), an English clergyman and writer who served as the vicar of Chaldon Herring in Dorset.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the Aubrey name was also associated with several prominent literary figures, including the poet and courtier John Aubrey (c. 1528-1595) and the playwright John Aubrey (1626-1700), who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aubrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Aubrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Aubrey 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 Aubrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.4% · 3,060
- Black or African American17.6% · 764
- Two or more races4.8% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aubrey
Aubrey 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
#7,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,753
+433 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 87 places
2020
#7,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,345
-408 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,133 | 4,320 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,046 | 4,753 | 1.61 | +433 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 87 places |
| 2020 | #7,397 | 4,345 | 1.45 | -408 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 351 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 Aubrey 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 | #7,046 | #7,397 | -5.0% |
| Count | 4,753 | 4,345 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.45 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aubrey bearers went from 4,753 to 4,345 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 351 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,046 to #7,397.
FAQ
Aubrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aubrey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,983 living Americans carry the surname Aubrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,785 residents.
How common is Aubrey?
Aubrey ranks #7,397 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,345 people with the surname Aubrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,983), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Aubrey.
Has Aubrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aubrey went from 4,753 recorded bearers to 4,345. That is a decrease of 408 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,046 to #7,397.
What does the Census say about the background of Aubrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aubrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aubrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.4% (3,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aubrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.4%), Black (17.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Aubrey (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 Aubrey mean?
A Norman French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "elf ruler" or "supernatural power." 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 Aubrey (1.45 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 surname Aubrey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.