2000
#3,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,692
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.59
Uncommon Last name
Caswell
A locational surname referring to someone from Caswell, a place in England, likely derived from Old English cærse and wella, meaning "watercress spring."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,562 Americans carry the last name Caswell. That puts it at #3,754 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caswell 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 Caswell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,452
Census rank
#3,754
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,211 bearers of the surname Caswell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3754th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caswell
The surname Caswell has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "casce," meaning cheese, and "well," meaning a spring or stream, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a stream where cheese was produced or sold.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caswell can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed a John de Cassewell in Oxfordshire. This document provides evidence that the name was already in use during the medieval period.
The Caswell surname is also found in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 and the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, further solidifying its presence in England during this time.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the form of "Caswall" in the Parish Registers of Northamptonshire, indicating a slight variation in spelling. This variation likely arose due to regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
One notable individual with the surname Caswell was Sir George Caswell (1545-1628), an English politician and Member of Parliament who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the governance of the county of Huntingdonshire.
Another prominent figure was Sir Richard Caswell (1729-1789), a military officer and statesman from North Carolina who played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War. He served as the first governor of the independent state of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780.
In the 18th century, the Caswell family established themselves in various parts of the United States, particularly in New England and the Southern states. Notable individuals from this period include Richard Caswell (1754-1833), a soldier and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from North Carolina.
The 19th century saw the Caswell surname spread further across the United States and other parts of the world. One notable figure was John Caswell (1798-1859), an American educator and author who served as the first president of Brown University in Rhode Island.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Hollie Caswill (1905-1998) was a British artist and illustrator known for her work in children's books and her collaborations with authors such as Enid Blyton.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caswell
Among Census respondents with the surname Caswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Caswell 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 Caswell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 8,106
- Two or more races4.0% · 367
- Black or African American3.6% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 264
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caswell
Caswell 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
#3,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,827
+135 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#3,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,211
-616 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,375 | 9,692 | 3.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,611 | 9,827 | 3.33 | +135 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #3,754 | 9,211 | 3.08 | -616 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 143 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 Caswell 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 | #3,611 | #3,754 | -4.0% |
| Count | 9,827 | 9,211 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.33 | 3.08 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caswell bearers went from 9,827 to 9,211 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,611 to #3,754.
FAQ
Caswell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caswell?
Name Census estimates that about 10,562 living Americans carry the surname Caswell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,452 residents.
How common is Caswell?
Caswell ranks #3,754 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 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 9,211 people with the surname Caswell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 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 Caswell.
Has Caswell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caswell went from 9,827 recorded bearers to 9,211. That is a decrease of 616 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,611 to #3,754.
What does the Census say about the background of Caswell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Caswell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (8,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caswell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (3.6%). 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 Caswell (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 Caswell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Caswell, a place in England, likely derived from Old English cærse and wella, meaning "watercress spring." 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 Caswell (3.08 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 Caswell?
You can see how many people are called Caswell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.