2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cairncross
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "cross at the cairn" or "cross by the mound of stones".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Cairncross. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cairncross 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 Cairncross with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Cairncross in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cairncross, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cairncross
The surname Cairncross originates from Scotland and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Cairncross in the parish of Torphichen, West Lothian. The name is believed to be a combination of the Scottish Gaelic words "carn" meaning "cairn" or "rocky hill" and "cros" meaning "cross."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, where a John Cairncross is mentioned in 1540. The Cairncross family held lands in West Lothian for several centuries, and their name appears in various historical records and charters from the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Cairncross was Alexander Cairncross (c. 1620-1701), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Bishop of Raphoe in Ireland. He was a staunch supporter of the Episcopal Church and played a significant role in the religious affairs of his time.
Another prominent individual was John Cairncross (1913-1995), a British spy who passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II while working as a civil servant. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring and was not publicly identified as a Soviet agent until the 1990s.
In the 19th century, James Cairncross (1798-1880) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Tron Kirk and the Royal Scottish Academy. His works showcased the neoclassical and Greek Revival styles popular during that era.
The surname Cairncross has also been associated with locations beyond Scotland. For instance, there is a town called Cairncross in South Africa, which was likely named after an early settler or landowner with the surname.
Other notable individuals with the Cairncross surname include:
- David Cairncross (1909-1993), a British economist and academic.
- Andrew Cairncross (1838-1914), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman.
- John Cairncross (1772-1839), a Scottish minister and writer.
While the Cairncross name may have evolved from various spellings and variants over time, its Scottish origins and connection to the lands of Cairncross in West Lothian remain a significant part of its history and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cairncross
Among Census respondents with the surname Cairncross, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cairncross 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 Cairncross surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cairncross
Cairncross 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,006 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 6,006 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,339 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 Cairncross 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 | #136,449 | #142,788 | -4.6% |
| Count | 123 | 119 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cairncross bearers went from 123 to 119 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,788.
FAQ
Cairncross surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cairncross?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Cairncross. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Cairncross?
Cairncross ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Cairncross. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cairncross.
Has Cairncross become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cairncross went from 123 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Cairncross?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cairncross, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Cairncross in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cairncross appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Cairncross (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 Cairncross mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "cross at the cairn" or "cross by the mound of stones". 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 Cairncross (0.04 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 Cairncross?
Want to know how many people have the last name Cairncross? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.