2000
#840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,440
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.88
Uncommon Last name
Avery
Derived from an Old French surname meaning "ruler of the elves" or from a place name meaning "island of birds."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,835 Americans carry the last name Avery. That puts it at #921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,002 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Avery 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 Avery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 8,002
Census rank
#921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,354 bearers of the surname Avery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Avery, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Avery
The surname AVERY is of English origin, derived from the Norman French personal name "Averey" or "Avera", which itself is a form of the Germanic name "Alberich", meaning "elf ruler". This name dates back to the medieval period, around the 11th and 12th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname AVERY can be found in various historical records from the 12th century onwards, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Alvredus". The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195 as "Averey".
AVERY is believed to have originated in various regions of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. The name is also associated with several place names, such as Avery's Green in Gloucestershire and Avery Hill in London.
Notable individuals with the surname AVERY throughout history include:
1. John Avery (c. 1598-1670), an early English settler in America who arrived in Massachusetts in 1630 and served as a Deputy to the General Court.
2. Samuel Avery (1622-1696), an English merchant and co-founder of the East India Company.
3. William Avery (1636-1695), an English physician and writer who published several works on midwifery and childbirth.
4. John Avery (1789-1870), an English botanist and author who wrote extensively on the flora of Wiltshire.
5. Benjamin Parley Avery (1828-1875), an American businessman and co-founder of the Avery Label Company, known for producing self-adhesive labels.
Over time, the surname AVERY has also experienced variations in spelling, including Averie, Avary, Averie, and Averry, among others. These variations reflect the diversity of regional dialects and scribal practices in different parts of England during the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Avery
Among Census respondents with the surname Avery, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Avery 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 Avery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 25,433
- Black or African American22.7% · 8,481
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,691
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,254
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 253
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 242
Timeline
Historical Census data for Avery
Avery 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
#878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,564
+2,124 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 13.41
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,354
-2,210 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 12.50
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #840 | 37,440 | 13.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #878 | 39,564 | 13.41 | +2,124 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #921 | 37,354 | 12.50 | -2,210 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 43 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 Avery 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 | #878 | #921 | -4.9% |
| Count | 39,564 | 37,354 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 13.41 | 12.50 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Avery bearers went from 39,564 to 37,354 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #878 to #921.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Avery
FAQ
Avery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Avery?
Name Census estimates that about 42,835 living Americans carry the surname Avery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,002 residents.
How common is Avery?
Avery ranks #921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,354 people with the surname Avery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Avery.
Has Avery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Avery went from 39,564 recorded bearers to 37,354. That is a decrease of 2,210 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #878 to #921.
What does the Census say about the background of Avery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Avery, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Avery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (25,433 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Avery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (22.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Avery (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 Avery mean?
Derived from an Old French surname meaning "ruler of the elves" or from a place name meaning "island of birds." 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 Avery (12.50 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 Avery?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Avery at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.