2000
#11,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Currey
An occupational surname for a currier, one who dresses and colors leather after it is tanned.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,815 Americans carry the last name Currey. That puts it at #12,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Currey 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 Currey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,760
Census rank
#12,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,455 bearers of the surname Currey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Currey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Currey
The surname Currey originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "curee," which means "to prepare" or "to cure." The name likely referred to a tradesman who prepared or cured meat, leather, or other goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Currey can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William le Curey. The Hundred Rolls were a survey of landowners and their holdings conducted during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Currey, Curry, and Currie. These spellings were influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of the name by scribes and record-keepers.
The Currey surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Currey Rivell in Somerset and Currie in Midlothian, Scotland. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Currey surname. One of the earliest was Sir John Currey (c. 1330-1415), an English nobleman who served as a Knight of the Shire for Northamptonshire in the Parliament of 1388.
Another prominent figure was George Currey (1575-1647), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Chichester from 1628 until his death. He was a staunch supporter of the Church of England during the tumultuous period of the English Civil War.
In the field of literature, Thomas Currey (1811-1888) was a notable English bookseller and publisher. He was responsible for publishing works by renowned authors such as Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray.
Sir Frederick Currie (1799-1875) was a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent administrator in the British East India Company.
Finally, Edwina Currie (born 1946) is a British politician and author. She served as a Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire from 1983 to 1997 and held various ministerial positions in the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Currey
Among Census respondents with the surname Currey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Currey 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 Currey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 2,169
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 94
- Black or African American2.9% · 71
- Two or more races2.8% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Currey
Currey 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
#11,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,672
+111 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 407 places
2020
#12,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,455
-217 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,321 | 2,561 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,728 | 2,672 | 0.91 | +111 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 407 places |
| 2020 | #12,118 | 2,455 | 0.82 | -217 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 390 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 Currey 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 | #11,728 | #12,118 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,672 | 2,455 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.82 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Currey bearers went from 2,672 to 2,455 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 390 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,728 to #12,118.
FAQ
Currey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Currey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,815 living Americans carry the surname Currey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,760 residents.
How common is Currey?
Currey ranks #12,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,455 people with the surname Currey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Currey.
Has Currey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Currey went from 2,672 recorded bearers to 2,455. That is a decrease of 217 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,728 to #12,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Currey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Currey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Currey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (2,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Currey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Black (2.9%). 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 Currey (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 Currey mean?
An occupational surname for a currier, one who dresses and colors leather after it is tanned. 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 Currey (0.82 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 surname Currey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.