2000
#9,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,197
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Driskill
An English occupational surname referring to someone who threshes corn or grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,538 Americans carry the last name Driskill. That puts it at #9,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Driskill 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
3.5K
1 in 96,878
Census rank
#9,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,085 bearers of the surname Driskill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Driskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Driskill
The surname Driskill originated in medieval England, derived from the Old English word "drysne," meaning "cluster" or "bundle." It likely referred to someone who lived near a thicket or wooded area.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Driscenel." This suggests that the name was present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into various spellings, including Driskel, Driskill, and Dryscoll. These variations can be found in historical records across various counties in England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Driskill, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. He was awarded lands in Nottinghamshire for his service to the Yorkist cause.
In the 16th century, the Driskill family established themselves as landowners in Derbyshire. William Driskill (1525-1592) served as a magistrate and was known for his involvement in local affairs.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Thomas Driskill (1610-1672) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was present at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.
The name Driskill can also be traced to the village of Driscoll near Bodmin in Cornwall, which may have given rise to some variations of the surname.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Sir Henry Driskill (1742-1812), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Bristol. He funded the construction of several schools and churches in the city.
As the British Empire expanded, the Driskill surname spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where descendants of the original English families can be found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Driskill
Among Census respondents with the surname Driskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Driskill 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 Driskill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 2,728
- Two or more races5.3% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 106
- Black or African American1.3% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Driskill
Driskill 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
#9,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,264
+67 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 549 places
2020
#9,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,085
-179 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,353 | 3,197 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,902 | 3,264 | 1.11 | +67 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 549 places |
| 2020 | #9,981 | 3,085 | 1.03 | -179 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 79 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 Driskill 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 | #9,902 | #9,981 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,264 | 3,085 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.03 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Driskill bearers went from 3,264 to 3,085 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,902 to #9,981.
FAQ
Driskill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Driskill?
Name Census estimates that about 3,538 living Americans carry the surname Driskill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,878 residents.
How common is Driskill?
Driskill ranks #9,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,085 people with the surname Driskill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Driskill.
Has Driskill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Driskill went from 3,264 recorded bearers to 3,085. That is a decrease of 179 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,902 to #9,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Driskill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Driskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Driskill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (2,728 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Driskill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Driskill (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 Driskill mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who threshes corn or grain. 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 Driskill (1.03 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 Driskill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.