2000
#14,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Catoe
A French occupational surname referring to a boatman or ferry operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,226 Americans carry the last name Catoe. That puts it at #14,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,978 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catoe 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
2.2K
1 in 153,978
Census rank
#14,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,941 bearers of the surname Catoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catoe
The surname CATOE is believed to have originated in England. It is an anglicized version of the Old French surname "Cathou", which itself is derived from the Latin name "Cathous". The name is thought to have first appeared in the late 12th century in the county of Northamptonshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CATOE name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, which mentions a Hugo de Cathou. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by that time.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Cato, Catto, and Cattow being documented in various historical records. In the 16th century, the spelling CATOE began to appear more frequently.
The CATOE surname has been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Catoe (1520-1589), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry in Northamptonshire. Another prominent figure was Richard Catoe (1625-1702), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London.
In the 18th century, the CATOE name gained recognition through the work of William Catoe (1745-1823), a renowned author and playwright who wrote several popular works during his lifetime. His contemporary, Thomas Catoe (1755-1832), was a respected clergyman and scholar who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire.
The 19th century saw the rise of Sir Edward Catoe (1820-1895), a prominent politician and member of the British Parliament. He was known for his advocacy of social reforms and his efforts to improve the living conditions of the working class.
While the CATOE surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the name remains relatively uncommon compared to many other English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Catoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Catoe 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 Catoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 1,458
- Black or African American17.1% · 331
- Two or more races4.6% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catoe
Catoe 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
#13,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,214
+262 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 463 places
2020
#14,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
-273 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,014 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,137 | 1,952 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,674 | 2,214 | 0.75 | +262 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 463 places |
| 2020 | #14,688 | 1,941 | 0.65 | -273 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 1,014 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 Catoe 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 | #13,674 | #14,688 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,214 | 1,941 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.65 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catoe bearers went from 2,214 to 1,941 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 1,014 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,674 to #14,688.
FAQ
Catoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catoe?
Name Census estimates that about 2,226 living Americans carry the surname Catoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,978 residents.
How common is Catoe?
Catoe ranks #14,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,941 people with the surname Catoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Catoe.
Has Catoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catoe went from 2,214 recorded bearers to 1,941. That is a decrease of 273 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,674 to #14,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Catoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Catoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (1,458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Catoe (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 Catoe mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a boatman or ferry operator. 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 Catoe (0.65 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 Catoe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.