2000
#14,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Catchings
An occupational surname for a tax collector or someone who gathered rent payments or other fees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,260 Americans carry the last name Catchings. That puts it at #14,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catchings 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,661
Census rank
#14,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,971 bearers of the surname Catchings in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catchings, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (20.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catchings
The surname Catchings is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Warwickshire. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cæccing," which translates to "a catching" or "a seizing."
Historically, surnames often emerged as a way to distinguish individuals, particularly in occupations or locations. In this case, the name Catchings may have been initially associated with someone whose occupation involved catching or seizing items, such as a hunter or a bailiff.
Early records show variations in the spelling of the name, including Catching, Catchinge, and Catchynge. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Warwickshire County Records from the late 13th century, where a certain "John Catchynge" is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, which were records of financial transactions. These rolls mention a "William Catchyng" from the village of Kinver.
Notable individuals with the surname Catchings include Sir Robert Catchings, a prominent landowner and knight from Warwickshire who lived in the late 15th century. Another early record is of a Thomas Catchings, who served as a member of the English Parliament in the 16th century, representing the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon.
During the 17th century, the name Catchings was also present in the nearby county of Worcestershire. Records show a John Catchings who was a landowner in the village of Badsey during this period.
In the 18th century, the surname Catchings can be found in various parish registers and court records across England, particularly in the Midlands region. One notable figure was William Catchings, a respected scholar and author from Warwickshire, who lived from 1710 to 1783.
As the centuries progressed, the name Catchings spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to North America, where many descendants of the original English families settled during the colonial era and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catchings
Among Census respondents with the surname Catchings, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (20.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Catchings 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 Catchings surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.1% · 1,402
- White20.4% · 403
- Two or more races5.2% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catchings
Catchings 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
#15,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,959
+117 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 280 places
2020
#14,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,971
+12 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,783 | 1,842 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,063 | 1,959 | 0.66 | +117 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 280 places |
| 2020 | #14,538 | 1,971 | 0.66 | +12 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 525 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 Catchings 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 | #15,063 | #14,538 | 3.5% |
| Count | 1,959 | 1,971 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.66 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catchings bearers went from 1,959 to 1,971 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 525 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,063 to #14,538.
FAQ
Catchings surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catchings?
Name Census estimates that about 2,260 living Americans carry the surname Catchings. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,661 residents.
How common is Catchings?
Catchings ranks #14,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,971 people with the surname Catchings. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Catchings.
Has Catchings become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catchings went from 1,959 recorded bearers to 1,971. That is an increase of 12 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,063 to #14,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Catchings?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catchings, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (20.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Catchings in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.1% (1,402 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catchings appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.1%), White (20.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Catchings (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 Catchings mean?
An occupational surname for a tax collector or someone who gathered rent payments or other fees. 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 Catchings (0.66 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 surname Catchings?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.