2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Custy
An occupational surname originating from "custrix," a Latin word meaning a watchman or guardian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Custy. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Custy 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.
Bearers in the US
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Custy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Custy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Custy
The surname Custy is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cust," which means "choice" or "excellent." The name may have been given to someone who was considered to be of high quality or exceptional character.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are records of a person named Custa, which is likely an early variation of the surname Custy. This suggests that the name was present in England before the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Custy is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a person named Richard Custy is mentioned.
During the 13th century, the name Custy appeared in various forms, such as Custi, Custie, and Custye, in records from counties like Somerset, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Custy was born in Gloucestershire around 1320. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the local gentry.
Another individual of note was William Custy, born in Oxfordshire in 1452. He was a respected scholar and served as a tutor to the children of noble families.
In the 16th century, a person named Alice Custy, born in Somerset in 1538, was recorded as the owner of a successful textile business.
In the 17th century, a man named Thomas Custy, born in Wiltshire in 1625, was a renowned architect and designed several notable buildings in the region.
During the 18th century, a prominent figure named Elizabeth Custy, born in Gloucestershire in 1712, was a renowned philanthropist and established several schools and charitable organizations in her community.
The surname Custy has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Custy Farm in Oxfordshire and Custy Hill in Somerset, further solidifying its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Custy
Among Census respondents with the surname Custy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Custy 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 Custy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 6
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Custy
Custy 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,088 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-7 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,088 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 1,362 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 Custy 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 | #154,907 | #156,269 | -0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 98 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Custy bearers went from 105 to 98 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 1,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #156,269.
FAQ
Custy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Custy?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Custy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Custy?
Custy ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Custy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Custy.
Has Custy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Custy went from 105 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Custy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Custy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Custy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Custy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Custy (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 Custy mean?
An occupational surname originating from "custrix," a Latin word meaning a watchman or guardian. 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 Custy (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Custy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.