Find out how popular the last name Drinkard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Drinkard.

Drinkard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Drinkard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drinkard in America

Drinkard is the 14201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drinkard surname appeared 2,114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Drinkard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drinkard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Drinkard

The surname Drinkard has its origins in medieval England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is a derivative of the Old English word "drincan," meaning "to drink," and was likely an occupational surname given to those who worked as brewers, innkeepers, or tavern owners.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Drinkard can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a William Drinkard is mentioned as a landowner. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, listing a Robert Drinkard as a resident of the county.

During the 14th century, the name Drinkard began to spread across various regions of England, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in counties such as Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Lincolnshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Gloucestershire list a John Drinkard as a taxpayer.

In the 15th century, variations of the name emerged, including Drinker, Drinkere, and Drinkwater. These variations likely reflected regional dialects and spellings of the time. The Poll Tax Returns of 1379 for Yorkshire record a Thomas Drinker, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1428 for Warwickshire list a William Drinkere.

One notable individual with the surname Drinkard was Sir John Drinkard, a knight who lived in the late 15th century and served as the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1490. Another prominent figure was Thomas Drinkard, born in 1562, who was a member of the Virginia Company and played a role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony in the early 17th century.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Drinkard continued to appear in various records across England, such as parish registers and court documents. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1674 for Oxfordshire mention a John Drinkard as a householder.

Other notable individuals with the surname Drinkard include Sir Edward Drinkard (1620-1678), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Marlborough, and John Drinkard (1782-1844), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and religious history.

While the surname Drinkard has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to North America and other English-speaking countries. However, its origins can be traced back to the occupational and descriptive nature of English surnames from the Middle Ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drinkard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Drinkard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Drinkard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Drinkard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Drinkard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Drinkard, please contact us.

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