2000
#4,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,296
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.70
Rare Last name
Bristol
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in or came from the city of Bristol, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,670 Americans carry the last name Bristol. That puts it at #4,552 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,533 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bristol 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 Bristol with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,533
Census rank
#4,552
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,561 bearers of the surname Bristol in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4552nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bristol, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bristol
The surname BRISTOL originated in the city of Bristol, located in the southwest of England. The city's name is derived from the Old English words "brycg" meaning "bridge" and "stow" meaning "place." This suggests that the surname may have initially referred to someone who lived near a bridge or a place associated with a bridge in Bristol.
The name BRISTOL first appeared in historical records in the 12th century. One early reference can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a person named "William de Bristoll." The use of the preposition "de" in this instance indicates that William was from Bristol.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the city of Bristol is recorded as "Bricstou" and "Bristou," further highlighting the historical roots of the surname's spelling variations.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname BRISTOL was John Bristol, a merchant and alderman who lived in Bristol during the 14th century. He played a prominent role in the city's governance and was mentioned in various local records from that time.
Another notable figure was Thomas Bristol, a wealthy merchant and ship owner from Bristol who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was involved in the lucrative wine trade and is believed to have been one of the wealthiest individuals in the city during his lifetime.
In the 16th century, a family of BRISTOLS owned estates in the nearby county of Somerset. This branch of the family produced several notable individuals, including Sir Walter Bristol, who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in the late 16th century.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a prominent Royalist soldier named Colonel Richard Bristol fought for King Charles I. He was involved in several major battles and was eventually captured by Parliamentarian forces in 1645.
Another individual of note was Reverend John Bristol, an Anglican clergyman who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He served as the rector of several parishes in Somerset and Gloucestershire and was known for his scholarship and writings on religious topics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bristol
Among Census respondents with the surname Bristol, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bristol 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 Bristol surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.1% · 5,223
- Black or African American18.1% · 1,367
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 419
- Two or more races5.0% · 379
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bristol
Bristol 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
#4,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,694
+398 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#4,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,561
-133 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,473 | 7,296 | 2.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,611 | 7,694 | 2.61 | +398 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #4,552 | 7,561 | 2.53 | -133 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 59 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 Bristol 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 | #4,611 | #4,552 | 1.3% |
| Count | 7,694 | 7,561 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.61 | 2.53 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bristol bearers went from 7,694 to 7,561 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,611 to #4,552.
FAQ
Bristol surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bristol?
Name Census estimates that about 8,670 living Americans carry the surname Bristol. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,533 residents.
How common is Bristol?
Bristol ranks #4,552 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,561 people with the surname Bristol. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,670), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bristol.
Has Bristol become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bristol went from 7,694 recorded bearers to 7,561. That is a decrease of 133 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,611 to #4,552.
What does the Census say about the background of Bristol?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bristol, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Bristol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.1% (5,223 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bristol appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.1%), Black (18.1%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Bristol (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 Bristol mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in or came from the city of Bristol, England. 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 Bristol (2.53 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 are called Bristol?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Bristol at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.