2000
#10,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,971
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Caylor
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French "cailleur," meaning "stonemason" or "one who works with stone."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,280 Americans carry the last name Caylor. That puts it at #10,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,498 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caylor 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
3.3K
1 in 104,498
Census rank
#10,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,860 bearers of the surname Caylor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caylor
The surname Caylor originates from England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "calu" or "calu-hyr," which referred to a bald or hairless person. In medieval times, nicknames were commonly used to identify individuals, and this name likely began as a descriptor for someone with little or no hair.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Caylor appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Calur" and refers to a landowner in Berkshire. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, with variations such as Cailor, Caillor, and Cayllor appearing in various historical records.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with notable examples including John Caylor, a merchant from York who lived around 1250, and William Caylor, a landowner in Lincolnshire who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1272.
In the 16th century, the name Caylor was associated with several notable figures, such as Thomas Caylor (1510-1579), a scholar and theologian who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and Elizabeth Caylor (1540-1602), a renowned herbalist and apothecary from Somerset.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Sir John Caylor (1620-1692), a prominent politician and lawyer who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1681. His son, James Caylor (1650-1718), was a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire.
Another notable bearer of the name was Samuel Caylor (1780-1856), a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology through his expeditions to South America and the West Indies.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Caylor surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of British migration and colonization. However, the name remained relatively uncommon compared to other English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caylor
Among Census respondents with the surname Caylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Caylor 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 Caylor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,576
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 122
- Two or more races3.7% · 106
- Black or African American1.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caylor
Caylor 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
#10,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,064
+93 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#10,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,860
-204 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,007 | 2,971 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,484 | 3,064 | 1.04 | +93 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #10,670 | 2,860 | 0.96 | -204 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 186 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 Caylor 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 | #10,484 | #10,670 | -1.8% |
| Count | 3,064 | 2,860 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.96 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caylor bearers went from 3,064 to 2,860 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 186 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,484 to #10,670.
FAQ
Caylor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caylor?
Name Census estimates that about 3,280 living Americans carry the surname Caylor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,498 residents.
How common is Caylor?
Caylor ranks #10,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,860 people with the surname Caylor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Caylor.
Has Caylor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caylor went from 3,064 recorded bearers to 2,860. That is a decrease of 204 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,484 to #10,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Caylor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Caylor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,576 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caylor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Caylor (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 Caylor mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French "cailleur," meaning "stonemason" or "one who works with stone." 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 Caylor (0.96 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 Americans have the surname Caylor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.