2000
#10,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Eames
Derived from the Old English word "eam," meaning uncle or maternal uncle, suggesting a familial relationship or nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,194 Americans carry the last name Eames. That puts it at #10,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eames 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 Eames with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,312
Census rank
#10,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,785 bearers of the surname Eames in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eames, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eames
The surname Eames originates from England, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English word "emes," which means "at the border" or "on the edge." This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic designation for someone who lived near the boundary of a village or settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the Eames surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Emes" and "Emmes," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during that period.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Eames surname was William Eames, who was born in Wiltshire, England, around 1520. He was a prominent figure in the village of Boxford and served as a churchwarden in the local parish church.
Another notable bearer of the Eames surname was Richard Eames, born in 1592 in Worcestershire, England. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his treatise on the English language titled "The Philological Observations on the English Tongue."
In the 17th century, the Eames family gained prominence in the American colonies. Thomas Eames, born in 1610 in Wiltshire, England, was among the early Puritan settlers in Massachusetts Bay Colony. He served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts and played a significant role in the establishment of the town of Framingham.
Moving forward, John Eames, born in 1744 in Oxfordshire, England, was a notable figure during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth.
Another prominent individual with the Eames surname was Charles Eames, born in 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a renowned American designer, architect, and filmmaker, widely acclaimed for his innovative furniture designs and contributions to modern architecture and design. Charles Eames collaborated extensively with his wife, Ray Eames, and their work has left a lasting impact on the design world.
While the Eames surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing this name found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eames
Among Census respondents with the surname Eames, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Eames 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 Eames surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 2,318
- Black or African American8.1% · 225
- Two or more races3.7% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eames
Eames 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
#11,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,720
-46 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 926 places
2020
#10,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,785
+65 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 629 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,629 | 2,766 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,555 | 2,720 | 0.92 | -46 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 926 places |
| 2020 | #10,926 | 2,785 | 0.93 | +65 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 629 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 Eames 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 | #11,555 | #10,926 | 5.4% |
| Count | 2,720 | 2,785 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.93 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eames bearers went from 2,720 to 2,785 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 629 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,555 to #10,926.
FAQ
Eames surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eames?
Name Census estimates that about 3,194 living Americans carry the surname Eames. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,312 residents.
How common is Eames?
Eames ranks #10,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,785 people with the surname Eames. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Eames.
Has Eames become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eames went from 2,720 recorded bearers to 2,785. That is an increase of 65 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,555 to #10,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Eames?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eames, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) 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 Eames in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (2,318 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eames appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (8.1%), 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 Eames (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 Eames mean?
Derived from the Old English word "eam," meaning uncle or maternal uncle, suggesting a familial relationship or nickname. 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 Eames (0.93 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 have the last name Eames?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Eames, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.