2000
#12,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,186
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Border
An occupational surname for a person who lived near or guarded the border of a country or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,238 Americans carry the last name Border. That puts it at #14,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Border 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 Border with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,152
Census rank
#14,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,952 bearers of the surname Border in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Border, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Border
The surname BORDER is of English origin, arising in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bordor," which referred to the boundary or edge of a piece of land. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near the border of a town or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the BORDER surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of England. A notable early reference can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a John le Bordour. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 as Robertus le Border.
During the medieval period, the BORDER surname was often spelled in various ways, reflecting regional dialects and the inconsistencies of scribes at the time. Some of these early variations include Bordour, Bordor, and Bordure.
In the 16th century, the BORDER surname can be found in the parish records of St. Martin's Church in Birmingham, where a William Border was recorded in 1581. Around the same time, the name appeared in the records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, with the baptism of Joane Border in 1598.
One notable individual with the BORDER surname was Sir William Border (1541-1615), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in 1589. Another was Thomas Border (1600-1671), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Felton in Northumberland.
In the 17th century, the BORDER surname was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, where a John Border was recorded in the parish records of Tewkesbury in 1638. In the same century, a Thomas Border (1628-1696) was a notable English Puritan minister and author.
Moving into the 18th century, the BORDER name appeared in the parish records of St. Giles in Cripplegate, London, with the baptism of Sarah Border in 1720. Another notable figure was Samuel Border (1758-1832), an English portrait painter who exhibited at the Royal Academy.
While the BORDER surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. The name continues to be prevalent in various English-speaking countries, carrying with it a rich historical legacy rooted in the medieval landscape and boundaries of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Border
Among Census respondents with the surname Border, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Border 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 Border surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,758
- Two or more races3.6% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 58
- Black or African American1.7% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Border
Border 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
#13,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,295
+109 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 391 places
2020
#14,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
-343 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,349 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,900 | 2,186 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,291 | 2,295 | 0.78 | +109 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 391 places |
| 2020 | #14,640 | 1,952 | 0.65 | -343 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 1,349 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 Border 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 | #13,291 | #14,640 | -10.1% |
| Count | 2,295 | 1,952 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.65 | -16.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Border bearers went from 2,295 to 1,952 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 1,349 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,291 to #14,640.
FAQ
Border surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Border?
Name Census estimates that about 2,238 living Americans carry the surname Border. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,152 residents.
How common is Border?
Border ranks #14,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,952 people with the surname Border. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Border.
Has Border become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Border went from 2,295 recorded bearers to 1,952. That is a decrease of 343 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,291 to #14,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Border?
Among Census respondents with the surname Border, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Border in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,758 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Border appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Border (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 Border mean?
An occupational surname for a person who lived near or guarded the border of a country or region. 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 Border (0.65 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 Border?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.