2000
#13,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Drinkard
An occupational surname referring to a drinker, drunkard, or one who served or sold alcoholic beverages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,304 Americans carry the last name Drinkard. That puts it at #14,325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drinkard 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
2.3K
1 in 148,765
Census rank
#14,325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,009 bearers of the surname Drinkard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drinkard, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drinkard
Among Census respondents with the surname Drinkard, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Drinkard 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 Drinkard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 1,541
- Black or African American15.7% · 315
- Two or more races3.7% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drinkard
Drinkard 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
#14,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,114
+56 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 661 places
2020
#14,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,009
-105 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,540 | 2,058 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,201 | 2,114 | 0.72 | +56 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 661 places |
| 2020 | #14,325 | 2,009 | 0.67 | -105 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 124 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 Drinkard 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 | #14,201 | #14,325 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,114 | 2,009 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.67 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drinkard bearers went from 2,114 to 2,009 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,201 to #14,325.
FAQ
Drinkard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drinkard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,304 living Americans carry the surname Drinkard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,765 residents.
How common is Drinkard?
Drinkard ranks #14,325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,009 people with the surname Drinkard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Drinkard.
Has Drinkard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drinkard went from 2,114 recorded bearers to 2,009. That is a decrease of 105 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,201 to #14,325.
What does the Census say about the background of Drinkard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drinkard, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Drinkard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (1,541 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drinkard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Black (15.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Drinkard (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 Drinkard mean?
An occupational surname referring to a drinker, drunkard, or one who served or sold alcoholic beverages. 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 Drinkard (0.67 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 common is the surname Drinkard?
See how many people have the surname Drinkard on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.