2000
#9,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Bankhead
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or ridge end.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,070 Americans carry the last name Bankhead. That puts it at #8,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bankhead 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 Bankhead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,215
Census rank
#8,860
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,549 bearers of the surname Bankhead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8860th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bankhead, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bankhead
The surname Bankhead has its origins in England, dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "banc" and "heafod," which together translate to "top of the hill" or "head of the slope." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a prominent geographical feature.
Records indicate that the Bankhead surname first appeared in the historical county of Lancashire in northern England. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where a person named Adam de Bankheved is mentioned.
In the 13th century, the Bankhead surname began to spread to other parts of England, particularly to the neighboring counties of Yorkshire and Cheshire. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and the Placita de Quo Warranto of 1292.
The Bankhead family established themselves as landowners and prominent figures in several English towns and villages. For instance, in the 14th century, a branch of the family owned lands in the village of Bankhead near Burnley in Lancashire.
Notable individuals with the Bankhead surname include:
1. John Bankhead (c. 1530-1601), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Preston during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Sir James Bankhead (1610-1676), an English lawyer and politician who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King Charles II.
3. Agnes Bankhead (1641-1714), an English Quaker author and activist who wrote several religious tracts and was imprisoned for her beliefs.
4. John Bankhead (1738-1833), an American soldier and pioneer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later helped establish settlements in Tennessee.
5. Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), an American actress of stage and screen, known for her husky voice and outrageous personality. She was a member of the prominent Bankhead family of Alabama.
While the Bankhead surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States, due to immigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the hills and slopes of medieval Lancashire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bankhead
Among Census respondents with the surname Bankhead, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bankhead 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 Bankhead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.2% · 1,889
- White37.9% · 1,345
- Two or more races5.0% · 178
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bankhead
Bankhead 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
#9,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,540
+209 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#8,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,549
+9 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,024 | 3,331 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,210 | 3,540 | 1.20 | +209 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #8,860 | 3,549 | 1.19 | +9 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 350 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 Bankhead 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 | #9,210 | #8,860 | 3.8% |
| Count | 3,540 | 3,549 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.19 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bankhead bearers went from 3,540 to 3,549 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,210 to #8,860.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bankhead
FAQ
Bankhead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bankhead?
Name Census estimates that about 4,070 living Americans carry the surname Bankhead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,215 residents.
How common is Bankhead?
Bankhead ranks #8,860 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,549 people with the surname Bankhead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,070), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Bankhead.
Has Bankhead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bankhead went from 3,540 recorded bearers to 3,549. That is an increase of 9 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,210 to #8,860.
What does the Census say about the background of Bankhead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bankhead, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Bankhead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.2% (1,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bankhead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.2%), White (37.9%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Bankhead (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 Bankhead mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or ridge end. 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 Bankhead (1.19 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 Bankhead?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.