Find out how popular the last name Earnshaw is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Earnshaw.

Earnshaw, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Earnshaw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Earnshaw in America

Earnshaw is the 24718th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Earnshaw surname appeared 1,009 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Earnshaw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Earnshaw to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Earnshaw

The surname Earnshaw has its origins in England, tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of two Old English words, "earn" meaning eagle and "sceaga" meaning grove or small wood, indicating that the name originally referred to someone who lived near an eagle's grove or wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Earnshaw can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a certain John Erneshawe was listed as a resident of the village of Cawthorne. This suggests that the name was initially concentrated in the Yorkshire region of northern England.

During the medieval period, variations in spelling were common, and the surname appeared in records under different forms such as Erneshawe, Ernshagh, and Earnshay. These variations reflect the evolution of the name over time and the regional dialects in which it was pronounced.

In the 16th century, the Earnshaw family held lands in the parish of Batley, West Yorkshire, as evidenced by the will of John Earnshaw dated 1557. This document provides valuable insight into the family's presence in the area during that period.

Notable individuals bearing the Earnshaw surname include:

1. William Earnshaw (1774-1857), a renowned English mathematician and scientist, best known for his contributions to the study of potential theory and electrostatics.

2. Samuel Earnshaw (1805-1888), an English industrialist and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of the textile industry in the 19th century.

3. Elizabeth Earnshaw (1815-1900), a British author and educator who wrote several influential works on women's education and social reform.

4. James Earnshaw (1860-1932), a prominent English architect known for his designs of public buildings and churches in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

5. Robert Earnshaw (born 1981), a Welsh professional footballer who has played for various clubs in England and Scotland, as well as the Welsh national team.

As the Earnshaw family dispersed throughout England over the centuries, the name became associated with various place names and locations, further contributing to its historical significance and geographical distribution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Earnshaw

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Earnshaw.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Earnshaw was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Earnshaw has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Earnshaw was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Earnshaw, please contact us.

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