2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Corrothers
A Scottish habitational surname referring to a dweller by the river Corr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Corrothers. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corrothers 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Corrothers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corrothers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.7%) and Hispanic (12.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corrothers
The surname Corrothers is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic words "corr" meaning "hollow" or "pit" and "ath" meaning "ford" or "crossing." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hollow or pit near a river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England after the conquest of Scotland. The name is listed as "Gillemichel Corrotherys." This indicates that various spellings, such as Corrotherys, were in use during that time.
The Corrothers name can also be traced back to the village of Corriethers in Ayrshire, Scotland. This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time. Records from the 16th and 17th centuries show variations like Corrathers, Corrothers, and Corriethers being used interchangeably.
Notable individuals with the surname include John Corrothers (1732-1807), a Scottish-American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Another prominent figure was William Corrothers (1849-1919), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
In the literary world, James David Corrothers (1869-1917) was an African American poet and playwright known for works like "The Bride-Elect" and "The Black Singers." His poems often explored themes of race and identity.
In the field of science, Joseph Corrothers (1889-1962) was an American chemist who made significant contributions to the development of synthetic fibers, including nylon and polyester. His research at DuPont played a crucial role in the creation of these materials.
Another notable figure was John Corrothers (1865-1932), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Corrothers Tobacco Company in Kentucky. He donated generously to educational institutions and helped establish several schools in his home state.
While the surname Corrothers is not as common as some other Scottish names, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corrothers
Among Census respondents with the surname Corrothers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.7%) and Hispanic (12.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Corrothers 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 Corrothers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.2% · 55
- White30.7% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino12.3% · 14
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corrothers
Corrothers 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,530 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 13,530 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Corrothers 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corrothers bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Corrothers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corrothers?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Corrothers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Corrothers?
Corrothers ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Corrothers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Corrothers.
Has Corrothers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corrothers went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Corrothers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corrothers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.7%) and Hispanic (12.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Corrothers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.2% (55 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corrothers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.2%), White (30.7%), Hispanic (12.3%). 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 Corrothers (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 Corrothers mean?
A Scottish habitational surname referring to a dweller by the river Corr. 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 Corrothers (0.04 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 Corrothers?
Find out how many people have the surname Corrothers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.