2000
#2,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,347
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.69
Uncommon Last name
Earl
A surname of noble origin, referring to a title of nobility ranking below a marquess and above a viscount.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,633 Americans carry the last name Earl. That puts it at #2,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,438 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Earl 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 Earl with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,438
Census rank
#2,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,377 bearers of the surname Earl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Earl, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Earl
The surname Earl is derived from the Old English word "eorl", which means a nobleman or warrior. It is an occupational name, originally referring to a person who held the rank of an earl or a high-ranking military officer. The name has its roots in Anglo-Saxon England and can be traced back to the early medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Earl can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the name, including Aelfric Earl and Eadric Earl, indicating the presence of this surname in various parts of the country.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Earl was particularly prevalent in the counties of Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. It was often associated with landowning families or those who held positions of authority within the feudal system. One notable example is the Earls of Derby, a prominent English noble family whose ancestry can be traced back to the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname Earl appeared in various legal documents and records, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Curia Regis Rolls. These sources provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution and social status of individuals bearing this surname during that period.
Among the famous historical figures with the surname Earl are:
1. Richard Earl (c. 1260 - c. 1320), an English military leader who served under Edward I and Edward II during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
2. Sir Walter Earl (c. 1350 - 1418), a prominent English soldier and landowner who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
3. Richard Earl (c. 1510 - 1588), an English composer and musician who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Elizabeth I.
4. John Earl (c. 1590 - 1665), an English mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and analytical geometry.
5. Edward Earl (1720 - 1789), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, and achieved the rank of Vice Admiral.
The surname Earl has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England, such as Earl's Court in London, Earl's Barton in Northamptonshire, and Earl's Colne in Essex. These place names often reflect the presence of individuals bearing the surname Earl in those areas or their historical connections to the nobility.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Earl
Among Census respondents with the surname Earl, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Earl 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 Earl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 10,853
- Black or African American20.3% · 3,114
- Two or more races4.2% · 644
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 552
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 99
Timeline
Historical Census data for Earl
Earl 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
#2,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,027
+680 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#2,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,377
-650 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 5.14
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,170 | 15,347 | 5.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,270 | 16,027 | 5.43 | +680 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #2,312 | 15,377 | 5.14 | -650 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 42 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 Earl 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 | #2,270 | #2,312 | -1.9% |
| Count | 16,027 | 15,377 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.43 | 5.14 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Earl bearers went from 16,027 to 15,377 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,270 to #2,312.
FAQ
Earl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Earl?
Name Census estimates that about 17,633 living Americans carry the surname Earl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,438 residents.
How common is Earl?
Earl ranks #2,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.14 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 15,377 people with the surname Earl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,633), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.14 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 Earl.
Has Earl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Earl went from 16,027 recorded bearers to 15,377. That is a decrease of 650 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,270 to #2,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Earl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Earl, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Earl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (10,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Earl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (20.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Earl (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 Earl mean?
A surname of noble origin, referring to a title of nobility ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. 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 Earl (5.14 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 Earl?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.