2000
#13,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Corby
A locational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Corby in England, likely meaning "raven farm."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,226 Americans carry the last name Corby. That puts it at #14,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,978 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corby 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 Corby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,978
Census rank
#14,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,941 bearers of the surname Corby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corby
The surname Corby has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'corf,' meaning a small woven basket or hamper. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1196, where it appeared as "William de Corfby."
Corby is also thought to be a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from the town of Corby in Northamptonshire. The town's name itself is believed to have been derived from the Old English words "croh" and "by," meaning a crooked settlement or village.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Corby surname was William de Corby, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Northamptonshire in 1279. These records were legal documents that recorded the transfer of land ownership and property transactions.
In the 14th century, the Corby surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332, where a John de Corby was listed as a taxpayer. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records compiled by the English government to collect revenue for military campaigns and other expenses.
Another notable bearer of the Corby name was Sir John Corby, who lived during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century. Sir John was a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in 1542.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Thomas Corby fought on the Parliamentarian side and was mentioned in several historical accounts of the conflict.
In the 18th century, the Corby surname was associated with the mining industry in Northamptonshire. Thomas Corby, born in 1745, was a prominent mine owner and operator in the region.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the town of Corby became a hub of steel production and manufacturing. William Corby, born in 1820, was a notable figure in the town's steel industry and instrumental in its growth and development.
Throughout its history, the Corby surname has maintained strong ties to its English origins, particularly in the county of Northamptonshire and the town that bears its name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corby
Among Census respondents with the surname Corby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Corby 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 Corby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,794
- Two or more races3.1% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 49
- Black or African American0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corby
Corby 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
#14,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,109
+94 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 443 places
2020
#14,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
-168 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 465 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,780 | 2,015 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,223 | 2,109 | 0.71 | +94 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 443 places |
| 2020 | #14,688 | 1,941 | 0.65 | -168 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 465 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 Corby 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 | #14,223 | #14,688 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,109 | 1,941 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.65 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corby bearers went from 2,109 to 1,941 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 465 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,223 to #14,688.
FAQ
Corby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,226 living Americans carry the surname Corby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,978 residents.
How common is Corby?
Corby ranks #14,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,941 people with the surname Corby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Corby.
Has Corby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corby went from 2,109 recorded bearers to 1,941. That is a decrease of 168 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,223 to #14,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Corby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Corby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Corby (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 Corby mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Corby in England, likely meaning "raven farm." 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 Corby (0.65 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 people have the last name Corby?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Corby, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.