2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Earby
A locational surname originating from the town of Earby in Lancashire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Earby. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Earby 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 Earby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Earby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Earby, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Earby
The surname EARBY is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the place name Earby, a town in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. The name Earby is derived from the Old English words "eare" meaning "grave" and "by" meaning "settlement" or "town," suggesting that the name could refer to a settlement near a burial ground or grave site.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to the village of Earby, indicating its existence during the Norman conquest of England. The earliest known spelling variation of the name was "Ereby," which appeared in the Yorkshire Pipe Rolls of 1166.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname EARBY was John de Ereby, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297. Another early bearer of the name was William de Ereby, a landowner in Earby, whose name was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname EARBY was John Earby (c. 1515 - 1588), an English clergyman who served as the Vicar of Pontefract in Yorkshire. He was known for his staunch opposition to the Protestant Reformation and his loyalty to the Catholic faith.
During the 17th century, a significant bearer of the name was Richard Earby (1622 - 1689), an English mathematician and astronomer. He made contributions to the understanding of lunar theory and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1666.
Another individual of note was Thomas Earby (1678 - 1743), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lancashire, who served as the High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1720.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was James Earby (1805 - 1888), a British engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing an early version of the modern-day steam engine and held several patents for his inventions.
While the surname EARBY has its roots in Lancashire, England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and is now found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Earby
Among Census respondents with the surname Earby, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Earby 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 Earby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.9% · 85
- White16.5% · 19
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Earby
Earby 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-23 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,065 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,638 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 29,065 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 3,638 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 Earby 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 | #149,395 | #145,757 | 2.4% |
| Count | 110 | 115 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Earby bearers went from 110 to 115 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 3,638 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #145,757.
FAQ
Earby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Earby?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Earby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Earby?
Earby ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Earby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Earby.
Has Earby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Earby went from 110 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 5 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Earby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Earby, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Earby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Earby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.9%), White (16.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Earby (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 Earby mean?
A locational surname originating from the town of Earby in Lancashire, England. 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 Earby (0.04 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 Earby?
Want to know how many people have the surname Earby? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.