2000
#12,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Culbert
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "cool bright stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,461 Americans carry the last name Culbert. That puts it at #13,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Culbert 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 Culbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,274
Census rank
#13,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,146 bearers of the surname Culbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Culbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Culbert
The surname Culbert originated in England, primarily in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cul," meaning "cool" or "cold," and "beorht," meaning "bright" or "shining." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a cool or shaded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Culbert surname can be traced back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Culberd and Culbert living in Yorkshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Culbert, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Another notable early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, which included a William Culbert.
The Culbert surname is not found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, its absence from this record does not necessarily indicate that the name did not exist at that time, as many surnames were still in the process of formation during the 11th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Culbert. One of the earliest was John Culbert, a merchant and alderman in the city of York, who lived in the late 14th century. Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir William Culbert, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.
In the 17th century, Thomas Culbert was a prominent businessman and landowner in Lancashire. He was involved in the textile trade and owned several mills in the region.
During the 18th century, James Culbert was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Yorkshire in 1732 and made significant contributions to the field of celestial navigation.
In the 19th century, Mary Culbert was a notable author and poet from Lancashire. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her vivid descriptions of the English countryside.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the Culbert surname throughout history. The name has a long and rich heritage, with its roots firmly planted in the northern counties of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Culbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Culbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Culbert 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 Culbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 1,569
- Black or African American18.0% · 387
- Two or more races4.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Culbert
Culbert 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
#12,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,432
+188 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#13,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
-286 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 847 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,650 | 2,244 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,694 | 2,432 | 0.82 | +188 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #13,541 | 2,146 | 0.72 | -286 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 847 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 Culbert 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 | #12,694 | #13,541 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,432 | 2,146 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.72 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Culbert bearers went from 2,432 to 2,146 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 847 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,694 to #13,541.
FAQ
Culbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Culbert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,461 living Americans carry the surname Culbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,274 residents.
How common is Culbert?
Culbert ranks #13,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,146 people with the surname Culbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Culbert.
Has Culbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Culbert went from 2,432 recorded bearers to 2,146. That is a decrease of 286 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,694 to #13,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Culbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Culbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Culbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (1,569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Culbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Culbert (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 Culbert mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "cool bright stream." 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 Culbert (0.72 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 Culbert?
If you just want to know how many people are called Culbert, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.