2000
#2,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.16
Uncommon Last name
Currie
Derived from the Scottish place name Currie, likely referring to a settlement near a marshland or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,046 Americans carry the last name Currie. That puts it at #2,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,996 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Currie 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 Currie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,996
Census rank
#2,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,609 bearers of the surname Currie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Currie, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Currie
The surname Currie originated in Scotland and is derived from the Gaelic word 'curaidh', meaning champion or hero. It is believed to have been a nickname given to a notable warrior or chieftain in the early medieval period.
The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with references found in various Scottish records and manuscripts. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the surname Currie, including William Currie, a landowner from Perthshire.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where it is spelled as 'Currie' and 'Curry'. This suggests that the name may have evolved from an earlier spelling, possibly related to the Old English word 'curi', meaning a noble or valiant person.
The Currie surname is strongly associated with the Scottish Borders region, particularly the areas around Berwickshire and Roxburghshire. Several place names in these regions, such as Currie in Midlothian and Currie Hill in Annandale, are believed to have derived from the surname or vice versa.
One notable individual with the Currie surname was Sir James Currie (1756-1805), a Scottish physician and writer who served as a naval surgeon and wrote a biography of Robert Burns. Another prominent figure was Sir Donald Currie (1825-1909), a Scottish shipping magnate and philanthropist who founded the Currie Line of steamships.
Other notable individuals with the Currie surname include:
1. Archibald Currie (1786-1854), a Scottish merchant and politician from Edinburgh.
2. Euphemia Currie (1829-1912), a Scottish poet and writer from Midlothian.
3. Mary Montgomerie Currie (1843-1905), a Scottish novelist and playwright from Dumfriesshire.
4. Sir Reginald Currie (1899-1981), a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War I.
5. Walter Currie (1908-1998), a Scottish footballer who played for Rangers F.C. in the 1930s.
While the Currie surname is most prevalent in Scotland and regions with Scottish heritage, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Currie
Among Census respondents with the surname Currie, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Currie 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 Currie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.7% · 10,917
- Black or African American25.8% · 4,283
- Two or more races4.1% · 687
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 519
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Currie
Currie 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
#2,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,234
+607 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 5.84
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#2,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,609
-625 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 5.56
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,000 | 16,627 | 6.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,100 | 17,234 | 5.84 | +607 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #2,117 | 16,609 | 5.56 | -625 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 17 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 Currie 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 | #2,100 | #2,117 | -0.8% |
| Count | 17,234 | 16,609 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.84 | 5.56 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Currie bearers went from 17,234 to 16,609 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,100 to #2,117.
FAQ
Currie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Currie?
Name Census estimates that about 19,046 living Americans carry the surname Currie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,996 residents.
How common is Currie?
Currie ranks #2,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,609 people with the surname Currie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Currie.
Has Currie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Currie went from 17,234 recorded bearers to 16,609. That is a decrease of 625 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,100 to #2,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Currie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Currie, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Currie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (10,917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Currie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.7%), Black (25.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Currie (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 Currie mean?
Derived from the Scottish place name Currie, likely referring to a settlement near a marshland or bog. 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 Currie (5.56 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 Currie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.