2000
#2,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.20
Uncommon Last name
Durbin
Derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning deer and "burna" meaning stream, likely referring to someone who lived near a deer stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,327 Americans carry the last name Durbin. That puts it at #2,471 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durbin 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 Durbin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,993
Census rank
#2,471
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,238 bearers of the surname Durbin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2471st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durbin
The surname Durbin originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "durbyn," which means "from the town of Derby." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who hailed from Derby, a city in the East Midlands region of England.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Durbin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire from 1176, where a person named William Durbin is listed. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire in 1273, referencing a Robert de Durbyn.
In medieval times, the name Durbin was often associated with the town of Durban, which was an older spelling of the modern-day Derby. This connection to a place name was a common practice during that era, as surnames were often derived from the locations where individuals or their families originated.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Durbin, one can mention Sir William Durbin (c. 1550-1629), an English politician who served as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was John Durbin (1800-1887), an English Methodist minister and author who played a significant role in the expansion of Methodism in France.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Durbin was John Durbin, who arrived in Virginia in 1636. Later, in the 19th century, Winfield T. Durbin (1847-1923) gained recognition as a prominent lawyer and politician from Indiana, serving as the Lieutenant Governor of the state from 1901 to 1905.
Another notable figure was Martin Durbin (1800-1890), an early settler and pioneer in Illinois, who established the town of Durbin, now known as Villa Grove. Additionally, Evan Pugh Durbin (1893-1975), an American lawyer and diplomat, served as the United States Ambassador to Israel from 1957 to 1961.
Throughout its history, the surname Durbin has been associated with various place names and spellings, such as Durbyn, Durbyne, and Durban, reflecting its connection to the town of Derby and the evolution of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durbin
Among Census respondents with the surname Durbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Durbin 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 Durbin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 12,926
- Two or more races3.7% · 530
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 496
- Black or African American1.0% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durbin
Durbin 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
#2,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,650
+616 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.97
Rank movement Down 95 places
2020
#2,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,238
-412 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 4.76
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,364 | 14,034 | 5.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,459 | 14,650 | 4.97 | +616 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 95 places |
| 2020 | #2,471 | 14,238 | 4.76 | -412 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 12 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 Durbin 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 | #2,459 | #2,471 | -0.5% |
| Count | 14,650 | 14,238 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.97 | 4.76 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durbin bearers went from 14,650 to 14,238 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,459 to #2,471.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Durbin
FAQ
Durbin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durbin?
Name Census estimates that about 16,327 living Americans carry the surname Durbin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,993 residents.
How common is Durbin?
Durbin ranks #2,471 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,238 people with the surname Durbin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Durbin.
Has Durbin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durbin went from 14,650 recorded bearers to 14,238. That is a decrease of 412 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,459 to #2,471.
What does the Census say about the background of Durbin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Durbin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (12,926 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durbin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Durbin (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 Durbin mean?
Derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning deer and "burna" meaning stream, likely referring to someone who lived near a deer stream. 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 Durbin (4.76 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 Durbin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.