2000
#11,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,460
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Drane
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "drain" or "channel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,603 Americans carry the last name Drane. That puts it at #12,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drane 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 Drane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,677
Census rank
#12,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,270 bearers of the surname Drane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drane, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drane
The surname Drane is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "drán" or "dræne," meaning a small watercourse or drain. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a topographic surname to someone who lived near a small stream or drainage channel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "William de la Drene." This indicates that the name was originally spelled with the prefix "de la," which was a common practice for surnames derived from place names or topographic features.
Another early reference to the Drane surname is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a "John Drane" is mentioned. This spelling variation without the "de la" prefix suggests that the name had evolved and become more established as a hereditary surname by the 14th century.
The Drane surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Drane Farm in Gloucestershire and Drane End in Staffordshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Drane surname or vice versa, further reinforcing the topographic origins of the name.
One notable bearer of the Drane surname was John Drane (c. 1500-1573), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Sarum (Salisbury) in the 16th century. Another prominent figure was Thomas Drane (1672-1748), an English architect and stonemason who designed several churches and buildings in London during the early 18th century.
In the literary realm, Reverend Augusta Theodosia Drane (1823-1894) was a notable English writer and theologian who authored several religious works, including biographies of saints and historical novels. Her most famous work was "The Life of St. Dominic," published in 1857.
The Drane surname has also been associated with notable military figures, such as Major General Thomas Drane (1780-1865), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War, and Admiral Sir Francis Drane (1834-1897), a Royal Navy officer who served during the Victorian era.
Overall, the surname Drane has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, reflecting the topographic features and settlements where its earliest bearers lived. While its origins date back to the Middle Ages, the name has persisted through various spellings and has been carried by individuals from diverse walks of life, including clergy, architects, writers, and military personnel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drane
Among Census respondents with the surname Drane, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Drane 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 Drane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.8% · 1,517
- Black or African American23.8% · 541
- Two or more races4.8% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drane
Drane 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
#11,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,706
+246 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 81 places
2020
#12,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
-436 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,684 | 2,460 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,603 | 2,706 | 0.92 | +246 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 81 places |
| 2020 | #12,942 | 2,270 | 0.76 | -436 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 1,339 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 Drane 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 | #11,603 | #12,942 | -11.5% |
| Count | 2,706 | 2,270 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.76 | -17.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drane bearers went from 2,706 to 2,270 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 1,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,603 to #12,942.
FAQ
Drane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drane?
Name Census estimates that about 2,603 living Americans carry the surname Drane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,677 residents.
How common is Drane?
Drane ranks #12,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,270 people with the surname Drane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,603), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Drane.
Has Drane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drane went from 2,706 recorded bearers to 2,270. That is a decrease of 436 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,603 to #12,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Drane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drane, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Drane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (1,517 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.8%), Black (23.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Drane (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 Drane mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "drain" or "channel." 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 Drane (0.76 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 surname Drane?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.