2000
#7,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Cargill
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Blairgowrie in Perthshire, likely meaning "fort in a hollow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,979 Americans carry the last name Cargill. That puts it at #7,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,840 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cargill 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 Cargill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,840
Census rank
#7,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,342 bearers of the surname Cargill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cargill, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cargill
The surname Cargill has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "carr" meaning "marsh" or "fen," and "gil" meaning "a narrow glen or ravine." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a marshy ravine or stream.
The earliest recorded mention of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence. One such person listed was Thomas de Cargyll from Perthshire.
By the 15th century, the name had evolved into various spellings like Cargill, Cargyll, Cargyle, and Cargile. These variations appeared in different records, such as the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland and the Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland.
One notable bearer of the name was Donald Cargill (1619-1681), a Scottish Covenanter minister and activist who was executed for his role in the Bothwell Bridge Rebellion against King Charles II. His defiant last words, "The Lord God Omnipotent reign," became a rallying cry for the Covenanters.
Another prominent figure was Ralph Cargill (1693-1778), a British merchant and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1766 to 1768. He was also a Member of Parliament for Queensborough and Beverley.
In the 19th century, William Cargill (1784-1860) was a successful Scottish merchant and shipowner based in Greenock. He founded the firm of William Cargill & Co., which later became part of the Cargill Corporation, one of the largest private companies in the world.
The name Cargill has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Cargill in Perthshire, Cargill in Fife, and the village of Cargill near Arbroath. These locations likely derive their names from the surname or vice versa, further reinforcing the name's Scottish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cargill
Among Census respondents with the surname Cargill, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cargill 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 Cargill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 2,879
- Black or African American22.3% · 969
- Two or more races5.0% · 215
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 204
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cargill
Cargill 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
#7,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,524
+248 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#7,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,342
-182 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,198 | 4,276 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,363 | 4,524 | 1.53 | +248 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #7,407 | 4,342 | 1.45 | -182 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 44 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 Cargill 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 | #7,363 | #7,407 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,524 | 4,342 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.45 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cargill bearers went from 4,524 to 4,342 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,363 to #7,407.
FAQ
Cargill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cargill?
Name Census estimates that about 4,979 living Americans carry the surname Cargill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,840 residents.
How common is Cargill?
Cargill ranks #7,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,342 people with the surname Cargill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,979), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Cargill.
Has Cargill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cargill went from 4,524 recorded bearers to 4,342. That is a decrease of 182 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,363 to #7,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Cargill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cargill, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cargill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (2,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cargill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Black (22.3%), 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 Cargill (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 Cargill mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Blairgowrie in Perthshire, likely meaning "fort in a hollow." 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 Cargill (1.45 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 share the surname Cargill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.