2000
#1,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.15
Uncommon Last name
Childers
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of shields or child-related items.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,945 Americans carry the last name Childers. That puts it at #1,199 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,404 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Childers 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
33K
1 in 10,404
Census rank
#1,199
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,730 bearers of the surname Childers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1199th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Childers, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Childers
The surname CHILDERS originated from the Old English word "cild" or "child", which referred to a young person or servant. The name first emerged in England during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the CHILDERS surname can be traced back to various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name were likely servants or individuals employed in households or estates.
One of the earliest documented references to the CHILDERS surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195, which mention a person named Richard Childers. Another early record is from the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, which lists a HugoChildres.
Over time, the surname CHILDERS evolved from various spellings, including Childres, Childers, Chyldres, and Chyldirs. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 14th century, the CHILDERS surname appeared in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which listed a William Childres, and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332, which mentioned a John Childres.
One notable bearer of the CHILDERS surname was Robert Childers (c. 1455-1521), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as an alderman and sheriff of the city during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Another prominent individual was Hugh Childers (1827-1896), a British statesman and Liberal Party politician. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister William Gladstone and played a significant role in the reform of the British civil service.
In the literary world, Erskine Childers (1870-1922) was an Irish writer and politician best known for his influential novel, "The Riddle of the Sands," which is considered a pioneering work in the spy fiction genre.
Robert Erskine Childers (1905-1973), the son of Erskine Childers, was also a prominent figure. He was an Irish writer, revolutionary, and politician who served as the fourth President of Ireland from 1973 until his death later that year.
Another notable bearer of the CHILDERS surname was Ewan Childers (1914-1975), a Scottish actor and director who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career, including the BBC's "Doctor Who" series.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Childers
Among Census respondents with the surname Childers, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Childers 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 Childers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 24,955
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,274
- Black or African American4.0% · 1,142
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 932
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 271
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 156
Timeline
Historical Census data for Childers
Childers 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
#1,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,570
+491 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 10.36
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#1,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,730
-1,840 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 9.61
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,063 | 30,079 | 11.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,150 | 30,570 | 10.36 | +491 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #1,199 | 28,730 | 9.61 | -1,840 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 49 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 Childers 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 | #1,150 | #1,199 | -4.3% |
| Count | 30,570 | 28,730 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 10.36 | 9.61 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Childers bearers went from 30,570 to 28,730 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,150 to #1,199.
FAQ
Childers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Childers?
Name Census estimates that about 32,945 living Americans carry the surname Childers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,404 residents.
How common is Childers?
Childers ranks #1,199 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,730 people with the surname Childers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,945), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Childers.
Has Childers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Childers went from 30,570 recorded bearers to 28,730. That is a decrease of 1,840 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,150 to #1,199.
What does the Census say about the background of Childers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Childers, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Childers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (24,955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Childers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (4.0%). 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 Childers (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 Childers mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of shields or child-related items. 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 Childers (9.61 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 Childers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.