2000
#3,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.94
Uncommon Last name
Drury
An English occupational surname referring to a servant or a drury, an officer of the king's household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,957 Americans carry the last name Drury. That puts it at #3,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drury 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 Drury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,666
Census rank
#3,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,427 bearers of the surname Drury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drury, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drury
The surname Drury originates from Normandy in France. It is derived from the Old French word 'druerie', meaning a favor or love token. The name came to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Some of the earliest recorded references to the name are in the Domesday Book, which lists various landholders with the surname Drury in counties such as Suffolk and Norfolk.
The Drury family established themselves as prominent landowners and members of the gentry class in England during the medieval period. One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Sir Roger Drury (c.1455-1495), who served as Lord Justice of Ireland in the late 15th century. Another prominent figure was Sir William Drury (c.1500-1558), who was a courtier and soldier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
In the 16th century, the Drury family gained further prominence through Sir William Drury (1527-1579), who was a distinguished military commander and served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1576 to 1578. His nephew, Sir Robert Drury (1567-1615), was also a notable soldier and served as a Member of Parliament.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the Drury family supported the Royalist cause. Sir William Drury (1617-1689) was a prominent Royalist commander and was knighted for his service to King Charles I. Another notable figure from this period was Sir Roger Drury (1609-1679), who was a Member of Parliament and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1670.
In the 18th century, the Drury family continued to play a role in British society. Rev. Thomas Drury (1701-1767) was an Anglican clergyman and headmaster of Harrow School, while his son, Rev. Henry Drury (1737-1812), was also a clergyman and served as the master of Harrow School.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Drury was the 18th-century actor and theatre manager, David Garrick (1717-1779), whose real name was David Garrick Drury. He is considered one of the greatest actors of the English stage and helped establish the reputation of the Drury Lane Theatre in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drury
Among Census respondents with the surname Drury, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Drury 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 Drury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 9,594
- Two or more races3.4% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 329
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 74
- Black or African American0.4% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drury
Drury 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
#3,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,721
+95 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.63
Rank movement Down 222 places
2020
#3,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,427
-294 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.49
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,120 | 10,626 | 3.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,342 | 10,721 | 3.63 | +95 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 222 places |
| 2020 | #3,361 | 10,427 | 3.49 | -294 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 19 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 Drury 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 | #3,342 | #3,361 | -0.6% |
| Count | 10,721 | 10,427 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.63 | 3.49 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drury bearers went from 10,721 to 10,427 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,342 to #3,361.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Drury
FAQ
Drury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drury?
Name Census estimates that about 11,957 living Americans carry the surname Drury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,666 residents.
How common is Drury?
Drury ranks #3,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,427 people with the surname Drury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,957), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Drury.
Has Drury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drury went from 10,721 recorded bearers to 10,427. That is a decrease of 294 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,342 to #3,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Drury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drury, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Drury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (9,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Drury (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 Drury mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a servant or a drury, an officer of the king's household. 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 Drury (3.49 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 Americans have the surname Drury?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.