2000
#3,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.76
Uncommon Last name
Culbertson
Scottish and northern Irish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Cuthbert's town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,127 Americans carry the last name Culbertson. That puts it at #3,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Culbertson 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 Culbertson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,804
Census rank
#3,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,703 bearers of the surname Culbertson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Culbertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Culbertson
The surname Culbertson has its origins in Scotland, originating in the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Culbertson in the parish of Closeburn, Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "col" meaning "cool" or "cold" and "burna" meaning "stream" or "brook", referring to a cool stream near the lands.
Early records show the name spelled in various ways, including Culbertson, Culberson, Culbairn, and Culbairston. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists John deCulbertson as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.
In the 16th century, the Culbertson family was prominent in the Scottish Borders region. John Culbertson of Holmends is mentioned in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1589. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Culbertson, who was knighted by King James VI of Scotland in 1617.
The name also made its way to Ireland, where it appeared as Culberson. In 1659, a John Culberson is recorded as being granted lands in County Donegal.
Among the early Culbertsons who emigrated to the American colonies was Robert Culbertson, born in Scotland around 1655. He settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. Another early American bearer of the name was Samuel Culbertson, born in Ireland in 1720, who settled in Pennsylvania and served in the French and Indian War.
Other notable individuals with the surname include:
1. William Culbertson (1768-1848), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
2. John Culbertson (1793-1879), an American Baptist minister and educator who founded Masonic College, now Culver-Stockton College, in Missouri.
3. Alexander Culbertson (1815-1890), a prominent American fur trader and explorer who worked for the American Fur Company in the Pacific Northwest.
4. William Culbertson (1825-1906), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
5. John Culbertson (1861-1934), an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Texas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Culbertson
Among Census respondents with the surname Culbertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Culbertson 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 Culbertson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 8,494
- Two or more races4.2% · 409
- Black or African American3.4% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 312
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Culbertson
Culbertson 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
#3,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,240
+93 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Down 257 places
2020
#3,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,703
-537 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.25
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,235 | 10,147 | 3.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,492 | 10,240 | 3.47 | +93 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 257 places |
| 2020 | #3,583 | 9,703 | 3.25 | -537 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 91 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 Culbertson 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 | #3,492 | #3,583 | -2.6% |
| Count | 10,240 | 9,703 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.47 | 3.25 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Culbertson bearers went from 10,240 to 9,703 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,492 to #3,583.
FAQ
Culbertson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Culbertson?
Name Census estimates that about 11,127 living Americans carry the surname Culbertson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,804 residents.
How common is Culbertson?
Culbertson ranks #3,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,703 people with the surname Culbertson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Culbertson.
Has Culbertson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Culbertson went from 10,240 recorded bearers to 9,703. That is a decrease of 537 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,492 to #3,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Culbertson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Culbertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Culbertson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (8,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Culbertson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (3.4%). 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 Culbertson (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 Culbertson mean?
Scottish and northern Irish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Cuthbert's town." 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 Culbertson (3.25 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 Culbertson?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Culbertson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.