2000
#922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.83
Uncommon Last name
Cherry
An English occupational surname referring to a person who sold cherries or lived near a cherry tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,194 Americans carry the last name Cherry. That puts it at #1,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,745 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cherry 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 Cherry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,745
Census rank
#1,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,179 bearers of the surname Cherry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cherry
The surname Cherry is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "cirse" or "cyrs," which referred to the cherry fruit or the cherry tree. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a cherry tree or orchard, or perhaps someone who cultivated cherries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cherry surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cyricebyrig" (Cherry's town or village). This entry suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or settlement during the 11th century.
The Cherry surname subsequently evolved through various spellings, including Chyrie, Chyreye, and Chyrye, before settling into its modern form. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation common during the medieval period.
During the 13th century, the Cherry surname appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire (1279), where it was spelled "Chyrie." This document also mentions a place called "Chyrie's Park," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and geographic locations.
Notable individuals with the Cherry surname throughout history include William Cherry (c. 1515-1597), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Dean of Lincoln Cathedral. Another prominent figure was Francis Cherry (1623-1713), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stamford.
In the 18th century, John Cherry (1691-1757) was a renowned English botanist and nurseryman who played a significant role in the introduction of new plant species to Britain. His work contributed to the development of horticulture and the cultivation of cherries.
The 19th century saw the birth of Henry Cholmondeley Cherry (1808-1879), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and participated in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava in 1854.
Another notable figure was Robert Gregg Cherry (1891-1957), an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949, and later as a United States Senator from 1945 to 1951.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cherry
Among Census respondents with the surname Cherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cherry 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 Cherry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.9% · 19,462
- Black or African American33.8% · 11,550
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,646
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 276
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 135
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cherry
Cherry 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
#970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,877
+1,262 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 12.16
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#1,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,179
-1,698 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 11.43
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #922 | 34,615 | 12.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #970 | 35,877 | 12.16 | +1,262 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #1,005 | 34,179 | 11.43 | -1,698 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 35 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 Cherry 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 | #970 | #1,005 | -3.6% |
| Count | 35,877 | 34,179 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 12.16 | 11.43 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cherry bearers went from 35,877 to 34,179 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #970 to #1,005.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cherry
FAQ
Cherry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cherry?
Name Census estimates that about 39,194 living Americans carry the surname Cherry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,745 residents.
How common is Cherry?
Cherry ranks #1,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,179 people with the surname Cherry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Cherry.
Has Cherry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cherry went from 35,877 recorded bearers to 34,179. That is a decrease of 1,698 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #970 to #1,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Cherry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cherry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.9% (19,462 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cherry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.9%), Black (33.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cherry (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 Cherry mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who sold cherries or lived near a cherry tree. 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 Cherry (11.43 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 common is the surname Cherry?
Want to know how many people have the last name Cherry? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.