2000
#13,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Class
An occupational surname referring to a class of people, such as students or social divisions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,523 Americans carry the last name Class. That puts it at #13,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Class 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
2.5K
1 in 135,852
Census rank
#13,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,200 bearers of the surname Class in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Class, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (47.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Class
The surname CLASS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "clæs," meaning a place of pasture or meadow. This name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on such lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Clasce," indicating a family or individual associated with a particular meadow or pasture. This early spelling variation suggests the name's roots in rural, agricultural communities of Anglo-Saxon England.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname CLASS took on various spellings, such as Clace, Claise, and Clase, reflecting regional dialects and inconsistencies in record-keeping. These variations often corresponded to specific locations, such as the village of Clace in Somerset or the manor of Clase in Gloucestershire.
Notable individuals bearing the CLASS surname include Sir John Class (c. 1495-1556), a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. Another early figure was William Class (c. 1530-1592), a clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire.
In the 17th century, the surname CLASS gained recognition through the work of Sir Francis Class (1619-1688), an English judge and Member of Parliament. His contemporaries included Thomas Class (1628-1699), a renowned Oxford scholar and author of several theological works.
As the CLASS surname spread across England, it became associated with various occupations and professions. For example, in the 18th century, John Class (1745-1819) was a respected architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Through the centuries, the CLASS name has also appeared in historical records and manuscripts beyond England's borders. For instance, the Dutch explorer and cartographer Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638), whose original surname was Class, gained fame for his groundbreaking maps and atlases.
These examples illustrate the rich history and geographical spread of the surname CLASS, which has endured through various spellings and regional variations, reflecting its ancient roots in the rural landscapes of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Class
Among Census respondents with the surname Class, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (47.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Class 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 Class surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.8% · 1,073
- White47.0% · 1,035
- Two or more races1.8% · 39
- Black or African American1.6% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Class
Class 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
#13,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,352
+367 bearers (+18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 890 places
2020
#13,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,200
-152 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,943 | 1,985 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,053 | 2,352 | 0.80 | +367 bearers (+18.5%) | Up 890 places |
| 2020 | #13,282 | 2,200 | 0.74 | -152 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 229 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 Class 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 | #13,053 | #13,282 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,352 | 2,200 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Class bearers went from 2,352 to 2,200 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,053 to #13,282.
FAQ
Class surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Class?
Name Census estimates that about 2,523 living Americans carry the surname Class. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,852 residents.
How common is Class?
Class ranks #13,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,200 people with the surname Class. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,523), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Class.
Has Class become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Class went from 2,352 recorded bearers to 2,200. That is a decrease of 152 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,053 to #13,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Class?
Among Census respondents with the surname Class, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (47.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Class in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (1,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Class appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (48.8%), White (47.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Class (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 Class mean?
An occupational surname referring to a class of people, such as students or social divisions. 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 Class (0.74 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 Class?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.