2000
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Cull
An English occupational surname for a collector of taxes or an animal herder who culls the weak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,257 Americans carry the last name Cull. That puts it at #14,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,863 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cull 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 Cull with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,863
Census rank
#14,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,968 bearers of the surname Cull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cull, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cull
The surname Cull is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cull", meaning to pluck or gather. This suggests that the name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a gatherer or collector of crops, fruits, or other produce.
The earliest recorded instances of the Cull surname can be found in various medieval records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Richard Culle. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also list a Walter Culle.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Culle, Cullen, and Cullyn. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Cull was Sir John Cull, a successful merchant and alderman in London during the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and served as Sheriff of London in 1562 and Lord Mayor in 1569.
Another prominent individual was Richard Cull, born in 1610, who was a renowned clockmaker in London. He is credited with creating some of the finest clocks and timepieces of the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Cull surname was associated with several notable individuals, including William Cull (1720-1799), a respected architect who designed several churches and country houses in England.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable figure was John Cull (1796-1878), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1837 to 1847.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, there was Alfred Cull (1881-1957), a British artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and book illustrations.
While the Cull surname may have originated as an occupational name, it has since become a well-established surname throughout England and parts of the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cull
Among Census respondents with the surname Cull, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cull 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 Cull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 1,740
- Black or African American5.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 60
- Two or more races2.4% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cull
Cull 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
#14,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,133
+54 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 664 places
2020
#14,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,968
-165 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,429 | 2,079 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,093 | 2,133 | 0.72 | +54 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 664 places |
| 2020 | #14,555 | 1,968 | 0.66 | -165 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 462 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 Cull 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 | #14,093 | #14,555 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,133 | 1,968 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.66 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cull bearers went from 2,133 to 1,968 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 462 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,093 to #14,555.
FAQ
Cull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cull?
Name Census estimates that about 2,257 living Americans carry the surname Cull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,863 residents.
How common is Cull?
Cull ranks #14,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,968 people with the surname Cull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Cull.
Has Cull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cull went from 2,133 recorded bearers to 1,968. That is a decrease of 165 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,093 to #14,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Cull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cull, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Cull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (1,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Cull (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 Cull mean?
An English occupational surname for a collector of taxes or an animal herder who culls the weak. 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 Cull (0.66 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 share the surname Cull?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.