2000
#7,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Driskell
An Irish occupational surname referring to a brewer or seller of ale or beer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,632 Americans carry the last name Driskell. That puts it at #7,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Driskell 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
4.6K
1 in 73,997
Census rank
#7,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,039 bearers of the surname Driskell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Driskell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Driskell
The surname Driskell is believed to have originated in Ireland, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Driscoll," which means "descendant of the messenger." The name is thought to have first appeared in County Cork, where it was prominent among families in the southwestern region of Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Driscoll who lived in the 10th century. The name is also found in various Irish annals and manuscripts from the Middle Ages, indicating its longstanding presence in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish families, including those with the surname Driskell, emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and the Americas due to political and economic turmoil in Ireland. This diaspora led to the spread of the name across various regions.
One notable figure bearing the surname Driskell was Cornelius Driskell (1725-1800), an Irish-born American Revolutionary War soldier who served in the Continental Army. Another prominent individual was Alexander Driskell (1792-1869), a Scottish-born American merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1843 to 1844.
In the 19th century, several members of the Driskell family were involved in the settlement and development of the American West. One such individual was John Driskell (1824-1888), a pioneer and rancher who established one of the first cattle ranches in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Another notable figure was William Driskell (1845-1917), a Civil War veteran and businessman who played a significant role in the growth of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He served as the city's first mayor in 1898 and was instrumental in the establishment of Tulsa's infrastructure and public services.
Additionally, the surname Driskell has been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Driscolls Rock, a promontory in County Cork, and several townlands bearing variations of the name, like Driscollstown and Driskillstown.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Driskell
Among Census respondents with the surname Driskell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Driskell 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 Driskell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 3,096
- Black or African American13.9% · 563
- Two or more races4.1% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 162
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Driskell
Driskell 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
#7,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,180
+165 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#7,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,039
-141 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,631 | 4,015 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,915 | 4,180 | 1.42 | +165 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #7,879 | 4,039 | 1.35 | -141 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 36 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 Driskell 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 | #7,915 | #7,879 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,180 | 4,039 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.35 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Driskell bearers went from 4,180 to 4,039 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,915 to #7,879.
FAQ
Driskell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Driskell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,632 living Americans carry the surname Driskell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,997 residents.
How common is Driskell?
Driskell ranks #7,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,039 people with the surname Driskell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,632), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Driskell.
Has Driskell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Driskell went from 4,180 recorded bearers to 4,039. That is a decrease of 141 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,915 to #7,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Driskell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Driskell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Driskell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (3,096 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Driskell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Black (13.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Driskell (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 Driskell mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a brewer or seller of ale or beer. 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 Driskell (1.35 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 Driskell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.