Find out how popular the last name Center is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Center.

Center, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Center surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Center in America

Center is the 10765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Center surname appeared 2,963 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Center.

We can also compare 2010 data for Center to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Center

The surname Center originated in England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "centre," which referred to a person who lived or worked in the center of a town or village. The name was likely first given to individuals who lived or worked in the central part of a settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Center can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a John Centre is listed in 1327. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1381, where a William Center is mentioned.

The surname Center has connections to several place names in England, including Center Hill in Hertfordshire and Center Green in Bedfordshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Center throughout history include:

1. Thomas Center (c. 1590-1666), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark.
2. William Center (1670-1723), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
3. Joseph Center (1738-1805), an American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Henry Center (1804-1879), an American businessman and philanthropist who was one of the founders of the Center College in Kentucky.
5. John Center (1888-1973), a British painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and book illustrations.

While the surname Center has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to immigration and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Center

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Center.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Center was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Center has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Center was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Center, please contact us.

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