2000
#10,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,757
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Cullins
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "O'Cuillin," derived from the Gaelic "cuileann" meaning "holly" or "holly tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,712 Americans carry the last name Cullins. That puts it at #12,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,384 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cullins 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 Cullins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,384
Census rank
#12,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,365 bearers of the surname Cullins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cullins, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cullins
The surname Cullins has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Cuilinn, which translates to "descendant of Cuilinn." The name Cuilinn itself is derived from the Irish word "cuileann," meaning "holly" or "holly tree."
The earliest recorded instances of the Cullins surname can be found in the Irish Annals, where members of the Ó Cuilinn family are mentioned as early as the 15th century. One notable example is Ruaidhrí Ó Cuilinn, a chieftain from County Mayo, who is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in the year 1497.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cullins surname was most prevalent in counties Mayo and Sligo, particularly in the areas around Ballina and Sligo town. The name is also found in historical records from these regions, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Monarchs and the Civil Survey of 1654-56.
In the 18th century, the Cullins surname began to spread beyond its traditional strongholds in the west of Ireland. One notable individual from this period was Dominick Cullins, a Catholic priest who lived in County Kilkenny in the mid-1700s.
As the Cullins family dispersed throughout Ireland and beyond, various spellings of the name emerged, including Cullen, Cullin, and Cullens. This was a common occurrence with many Irish surnames due to the inconsistencies in translation and record-keeping.
Several individuals with the Cullins surname have achieved recognition throughout history. Among them are:
1. Michael Cullins (1875-1947), an Irish-born American labor leader and politician from New York.
2. Bridget Cullins (1878-1958), an Irish-born American teacher and activist in the labor and suffrage movements.
3. James Cullins (1904-1991), an Irish hurler who played for the Waterford senior team in the 1920s and 1930s.
4. Patrick Cullins (1932-2008), an Irish-born American writer and academic who taught at the University of Notre Dame.
5. John Cullins (born 1962), an American actor and producer best known for his role in the television series "Northern Exposure."
While the Cullins surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history rooted in the Irish tradition, with descendants scattered across Ireland and beyond, contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cullins
Among Census respondents with the surname Cullins, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cullins 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 Cullins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.0% · 1,301
- Black or African American36.7% · 868
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 92
- Two or more races3.3% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cullins
Cullins 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
#9,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,506
+749 bearers (+27.2%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 1,367 places
2020
#12,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,365
-1,141 bearers (-32.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 3,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,650 | 2,757 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,283 | 3,506 | 1.19 | +749 bearers (+27.2%) | Up 1,367 places |
| 2020 | #12,512 | 2,365 | 0.79 | -1,141 bearers (-32.5%) | Down 3,229 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 Cullins 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 | #9,283 | #12,512 | -34.8% |
| Count | 3,506 | 2,365 | -32.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 0.79 | -33.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cullins bearers went from 3,506 to 2,365 (-32.5% change). The surname moved down 3,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,283 to #12,512.
FAQ
Cullins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cullins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,712 living Americans carry the surname Cullins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,384 residents.
How common is Cullins?
Cullins ranks #12,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,365 people with the surname Cullins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,712), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Cullins.
Has Cullins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cullins went from 3,506 recorded bearers to 2,365. That is a decrease of 1,141 (-32.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,283 to #12,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Cullins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cullins, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Cullins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.0% (1,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cullins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.0%), Black (36.7%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Cullins (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 Cullins mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "O'Cuillin," derived from the Gaelic "cuileann" meaning "holly" or "holly tree." 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 Cullins (0.79 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 Cullins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.