2000
#5,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Earls
A surname derived from the Old English word "eorl," meaning a nobleman or warrior of high rank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,799 Americans carry the last name Earls. That puts it at #5,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Earls 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 Earls with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,412
Census rank
#5,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,929 bearers of the surname Earls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Earls, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Earls
The surname Earls is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "eorl," which means "nobleman" or "leader." The name first appeared in the 12th century and was often used to refer to individuals who held the title of Earl, a rank of nobility in the British peerage system.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Earls can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where a man named William Earls is mentioned. It is believed that this individual may have been a landowner or a person of some standing in the community.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Earls was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire. In some cases, the name may have derived from place names such as Earls Court in London or Earls Barton in Northamptonshire.
One notable historical figure with the surname Earls was Sir Walter Earls, a prominent English soldier and naval commander who lived from 1556 to 1615. He served in the Dutch Revolt against Spain and later became a vice-admiral in the English Navy.
Another noteworthy individual was John Earls (1605-1665), an English divine and author who served as the Bishop of Worcester and Salisbury. He was known for his writings on theology and his support for the Church of England during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Richard Earls (1708-1782) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1776 to 1782.
The surname Earls also has connections to the arts, with Jane Earls (1766-1846) being a well-known English painter and engraver during the Regency era. Her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and other prestigious venues.
Another notable figure was Sir Percy Earls (1875-1953), a British diplomat and ambassador who served in various countries, including China, Japan, and Turkey, during the early 20th century.
While the surname Earls is not as common as other English surnames, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, law, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Earls
Among Census respondents with the surname Earls, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Earls 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 Earls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 4,350
- Black or African American17.1% · 1,014
- Two or more races5.1% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Earls
Earls 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
#5,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,136
+271 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#5,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,929
-207 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,457 | 5,865 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,658 | 6,136 | 2.08 | +271 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #5,641 | 5,929 | 1.98 | -207 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 17 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 Earls 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 | #5,658 | #5,641 | 0.3% |
| Count | 6,136 | 5,929 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.98 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Earls bearers went from 6,136 to 5,929 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,658 to #5,641.
FAQ
Earls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Earls?
Name Census estimates that about 6,799 living Americans carry the surname Earls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,412 residents.
How common is Earls?
Earls ranks #5,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,929 people with the surname Earls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,799), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Earls.
Has Earls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Earls went from 6,136 recorded bearers to 5,929. That is a decrease of 207 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,658 to #5,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Earls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Earls, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Earls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (4,350 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Earls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Earls (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 Earls mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "eorl," meaning a nobleman or warrior of high rank. 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 Earls (1.98 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 Earls?
You can see how many people are called Earls on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.