2000
#11,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,545
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Cuthbert
Famous, bright, or intelligent; derived from an Old English given name composed of the elements "cuth" (famous) and "beorht" (bright).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,860 Americans carry the last name Cuthbert. That puts it at #11,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuthbert 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 Cuthbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,844
Census rank
#11,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,494 bearers of the surname Cuthbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuthbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuthbert
The surname Cuthbert is of Anglo-Saxon origin, initially arising in the 7th century in the area of Northumbria, which is now part of northern England and southeast Scotland. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Cuðberht," composed of the elements "cuð" meaning "famous" and "beorht" meaning "bright."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Cuthbert can be found in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century. This work mentions St. Cuthbert, a highly revered Anglo-Saxon monk and Bishop of Lindisfarne, who lived from around 634 to 687 AD.
The Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror, contains several entries of individuals bearing the name Cuthbert, indicating its use as a personal name and potential surname in that era.
In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Cuthbert of Canterbury served as Prior of the Benedictine monastery in Canterbury from 1170 to 1176. Additionally, Cuthbert of York, who lived from around 1145 to 1216, was a notable English Catholic prelate and Archbishop of York.
During the 13th century, the surname Cuthbert began appearing more frequently in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1274-1279, which lists individuals such as Thomas Cuthbert and Richard Cuthbert.
Noteworthy historical figures bearing the surname Cuthbert include John Cuthbert (1616-1669), an English Catholic priest and writer, and William Cuthbert (1742-1809), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
In the realm of literature, the surname Cuthbert is associated with the English novelist and playwright Sir Lancelot Cuthbert Brenton (1786-1845), known for his naval novels and dramatic works. Additionally, the character of Cuthbert Calculus, a fictional inventor and aviator, appears in the Adventures of Tintin series by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuthbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuthbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuthbert 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 Cuthbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 1,827
- Black or African American15.4% · 383
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 131
- Two or more races4.9% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuthbert
Cuthbert 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
#11,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,627
+82 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 553 places
2020
#11,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,494
-133 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,366 | 2,545 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,919 | 2,627 | 0.89 | +82 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 553 places |
| 2020 | #11,977 | 2,494 | 0.83 | -133 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 58 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 Cuthbert 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 | #11,919 | #11,977 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,627 | 2,494 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.83 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuthbert bearers went from 2,627 to 2,494 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,919 to #11,977.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cuthbert
FAQ
Cuthbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuthbert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,860 living Americans carry the surname Cuthbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,844 residents.
How common is Cuthbert?
Cuthbert ranks #11,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,494 people with the surname Cuthbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,860), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Cuthbert.
Has Cuthbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuthbert went from 2,627 recorded bearers to 2,494. That is a decrease of 133 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,919 to #11,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuthbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuthbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Cuthbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (1,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuthbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (15.4%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Cuthbert (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 Cuthbert mean?
Famous, bright, or intelligent; derived from an Old English given name composed of the elements "cuth" (famous) and "beorht" (bright). 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 Cuthbert (0.83 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 last name Cuthbert?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Cuthbert is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.