2000
#9,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,009
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Cutting
An English occupational surname referring to a person who cuts cloth or meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,282 Americans carry the last name Cutting. That puts it at #10,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cutting 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 Cutting with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,435
Census rank
#10,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,862 bearers of the surname Cutting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cutting, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cutting
The surname Cutting has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cutt," which referred to a person who cut or trimmed cloth, hair, or other materials. This suggests that the name's original bearers were likely involved in trades such as tailoring or barbering.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where a person named William Cutting is mentioned. The name is also found in various other medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John Cutting is listed as a resident of Oxfordshire.
In the 16th century, the name Cutting appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset. Records from this period include a John Cutting, born around 1520 in Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire, and a Richard Cutting, who was born in Bruton, Somerset, in 1578.
One notable bearer of the name was John Cutting, a prominent English Puritan minister who lived from 1608 to 1661. He served as the rector of Stanford Rivers in Essex and was known for his strong opposition to the Church of England's ceremonial practices.
Another individual of historical significance was Leonard Cutting (1753-1806), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament for Seaford in Sussex.
In the 19th century, the name Cutting gained some prominence in the United States. One notable American was Hiram Adolphus Cutting (1832-1920), a politician and businessman from New York who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Another individual of note was Robert Fulton Cutting (1852-1934), an American lawyer and financier who served as a trustee of Columbia University and was involved in various philanthropic endeavors.
Throughout its history, the surname Cutting has been subject to various spelling variations, including Cuttinge, Cuttynge, and Cuttings. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its association with trades involving cutting or trimming, reflecting the occupational origins of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cutting
Among Census respondents with the surname Cutting, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cutting 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 Cutting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 2,517
- Black or African American3.8% · 110
- Two or more races3.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cutting
Cutting 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
#10,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,213
+204 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#10,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,862
-351 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 633 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,894 | 3,009 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,026 | 3,213 | 1.09 | +204 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #10,659 | 2,862 | 0.96 | -351 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 633 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 Cutting 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 | #10,026 | #10,659 | -6.3% |
| Count | 3,213 | 2,862 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.96 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cutting bearers went from 3,213 to 2,862 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 633 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,026 to #10,659.
FAQ
Cutting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cutting?
Name Census estimates that about 3,282 living Americans carry the surname Cutting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,435 residents.
How common is Cutting?
Cutting ranks #10,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,862 people with the surname Cutting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Cutting.
Has Cutting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cutting went from 3,213 recorded bearers to 2,862. That is a decrease of 351 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,026 to #10,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Cutting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cutting, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Cutting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,517 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cutting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Cutting (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 Cutting mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who cuts cloth or meat. 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 Cutting (0.96 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 Cutting?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.