2000
#1,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.27
Uncommon Last name
Eason
An English surname derived from the given name Eason, which is of uncertain origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,039 Americans carry the last name Eason. That puts it at #2,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,003 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eason 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 Eason with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,003
Census rank
#2,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,603 bearers of the surname Eason in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eason, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eason
The surname Eason is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Eason," which itself comes from the Germanic root "Eas," meaning "divine strength" or "godly."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Esone." This suggests that the name was already in use among the Anglo-Saxon population before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 12th century, the name was often spelled as "Easun" or "Eson," reflecting the phonetic evolution of the language. During this period, the Eason family was concentrated primarily in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in northern England.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Eason, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. He was born around 1310 and died in battle at the Siege of Calais in 1347.
Another significant figure was Robert Eason, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and played an influential role in the city's governance and trade relations.
In the 16th century, the name Eason was sometimes associated with the village of Easington in County Durham, which was likely derived from the same Old English root. This connection may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
During the 17th century, the Eason family spread across England, with notable members including William Eason (1604-1674), a Puritan minister and author from Cambridgeshire, and Thomas Eason (1631-1705), a successful merchant and landowner in Yorkshire.
Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Eason (1670-1744), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the War of the Spanish Succession and later became an influential Member of Parliament.
As the Eason family continued to grow and disperse throughout the British Isles, various spellings and variations of the name emerged, such as Easson, Esson, and Eesan. However, the core meaning and origins of the surname remained rooted in its ancient Anglo-Saxon heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eason
Among Census respondents with the surname Eason, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Eason 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 Eason surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.2% · 9,166
- Black or African American35.8% · 5,943
- Two or more races4.6% · 771
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 546
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eason
Eason 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
#2,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,714
+791 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 6.01
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#2,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,603
-1,111 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.55
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,949 | 16,923 | 6.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,031 | 17,714 | 6.01 | +791 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #2,119 | 16,603 | 5.55 | -1,111 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 88 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 Eason 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 | #2,031 | #2,119 | -4.3% |
| Count | 17,714 | 16,603 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.01 | 5.55 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eason bearers went from 17,714 to 16,603 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,031 to #2,119.
FAQ
Eason surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eason?
Name Census estimates that about 19,039 living Americans carry the surname Eason. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,003 residents.
How common is Eason?
Eason ranks #2,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,603 people with the surname Eason. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Eason.
Has Eason become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eason went from 17,714 recorded bearers to 16,603. That is a decrease of 1,111 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,031 to #2,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Eason?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eason, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Eason in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.2% (9,166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eason appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.2%), Black (35.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Eason (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 Eason mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Eason, which is of uncertain origin and meaning. 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 Eason (5.55 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 surname Eason?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.