2000
#10,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Currin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Corraidhin," meaning "descendant of Corraidhin" (spear-shaped).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,125 Americans carry the last name Currin. That puts it at #11,113 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Currin 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 Currin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,681
Census rank
#11,113
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,725 bearers of the surname Currin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11113th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Currin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Currin
The surname Currin originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic word "curran," meaning "little cairn" or a small pile of stones, often used as a boundary marker or memorial. This suggests that the name may have been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a distinctive cairn or a place where such cairns were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the swearing of fealty to Edward I of England by Scottish noblemen and landowners. The name appears as "Currin" in this historical record, suggesting that this spelling was in use as early as the 13th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Currin appears in various Scottish parish records, including those of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and Morayshire. These records often provide valuable insights into the lives of individuals bearing the name, including their occupations, family relationships, and places of residence.
Notable individuals with the surname Currin throughout history include:
1. John Currin (c. 1570-1640), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian who served as the Rector of the University of Glasgow in the early 17th century.
2. Robert Currin (1718-1794), a Scottish merchant and landowner in Banffshire, who played a significant role in the local economy and politics of the region during the 18th century.
3. Elizabeth Currin (1802-1876), a Scottish poet and author, known for her collection of poems titled "Highland Musings," which celebrated the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
4. James Currin (1856-1928), a Scottish-born engineer who immigrated to the United States and contributed to the construction of several major bridges and infrastructure projects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Margaret Currin (1890-1967), a Scottish suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform in the early 20th century.
The surname Currin has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Currin Hill and Currin Loch, both located in Aberdeenshire. These place names likely originated from the same Gaelic root as the surname, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Currin
Among Census respondents with the surname Currin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Currin 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 Currin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 2,085
- Black or African American15.5% · 422
- Two or more races4.4% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Currin
Currin 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
#10,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,026
+121 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 398 places
2020
#11,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,725
-301 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,191 | 2,905 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,589 | 3,026 | 1.03 | +121 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 398 places |
| 2020 | #11,113 | 2,725 | 0.91 | -301 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 524 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 Currin 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 | #10,589 | #11,113 | -4.9% |
| Count | 3,026 | 2,725 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.91 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Currin bearers went from 3,026 to 2,725 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 524 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,589 to #11,113.
FAQ
Currin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Currin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,125 living Americans carry the surname Currin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,681 residents.
How common is Currin?
Currin ranks #11,113 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,725 people with the surname Currin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Currin.
Has Currin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Currin went from 3,026 recorded bearers to 2,725. That is a decrease of 301 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,589 to #11,113.
What does the Census say about the background of Currin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Currin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Currin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (2,085 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Currin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (15.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Currin (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 Currin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Corraidhin," meaning "descendant of Corraidhin" (spear-shaped). 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 Currin (0.91 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 are called Currin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Currin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.