2000
#278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99,294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 36.81
Common Last name
Banks
An English topographic surname for someone who lived on the slopes or banks of a hill or ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118,867 Americans carry the last name Banks. That puts it at #297 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 34.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,884 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Banks 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 Banks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119K
1 in 2,884
Census rank
#297
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
34.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103,658 bearers of the surname Banks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 34.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 297th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Banks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Banks
The surname Banks originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "banc," meaning a hillside, ridge, or slope.
In the early days, the name was often associated with people who lived on or near a hillside or ridge. It was a common topographic surname, indicating the location or physical feature where the original bearer resided.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de Banco" or "del Banc." This suggests that the name was already established by the time of the Norman Conquest.
The surname Banks has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Banbury in Oxfordshire and Bamborough in Northumberland. These place names, in turn, may have been derived from the Old English word "banc" or similar variations.
Notable historical figures with the surname Banks include:
1. Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), an English naturalist and botanist who accompanied Captain James Cook on his famous voyage around the world.
2. Thomas Banks (1735-1805), an English sculptor known for his works inspired by classical antiquity.
3. John Banks (1637-1699), an English author and dramatist who wrote several plays and poems during the Restoration period.
4. Sarah Breedlove Walker (1867-1919), better known as Madam C.J. Walker, an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist who became the first female self-made millionaire in America.
5. Elizabeth Banks (born 1974), an American actress, director, and producer known for her roles in films such as "The Hunger Games" and "Pitch Perfect."
As the surname spread throughout England and later to other parts of the world, various spellings emerged, including Bankes, Bancks, and Banke. However, the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the Old English word "banc" and its association with hillsides or ridges.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Banks
Among Census respondents with the surname Banks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Banks 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 Banks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.6% · 54,488
- White37.5% · 38,830
- Two or more races5.7% · 5,869
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 3,556
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 523
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 392
Timeline
Historical Census data for Banks
Banks 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
#292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105,833
+6,539 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 35.88
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103,658
-2,175 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 34.68
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #278 | 99,294 | 36.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #292 | 105,833 | 35.88 | +6,539 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #297 | 103,658 | 34.68 | -2,175 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 5 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 Banks 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 | #292 | #297 | -1.7% |
| Count | 105,833 | 103,658 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 35.88 | 34.68 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Banks bearers went from 105,833 to 103,658 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #292 to #297.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Banks
FAQ
Banks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Banks?
Name Census estimates that about 118,867 living Americans carry the surname Banks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,884 residents.
How common is Banks?
Banks ranks #297 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 34.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 35 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103,658 people with the surname Banks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118,867), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 34.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 34.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 35 of them to have the surname Banks.
Has Banks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Banks went from 105,833 recorded bearers to 103,658. That is a decrease of 2,175 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #292 to #297.
What does the Census say about the background of Banks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Banks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Banks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (54,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Banks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.6%), White (37.5%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Banks (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 Banks mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived on the slopes or banks of a hill or ridge. 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 Banks (34.68 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 Banks?
If you just want to know how common the surname Banks is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.