2000
#2,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,357
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.58
Uncommon Last name
East
A locational surname referring to someone who lived to the east of a town or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,793 Americans carry the last name East. That puts it at #2,922 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,850 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the East 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 East with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,850
Census rank
#2,922
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,028 bearers of the surname East in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2922nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname East, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of East
The surname "EAST" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "east," meaning "the direction of the rising sun." It is a locational surname, given to people who lived in the eastern part of a town or village, or who came from a place name containing the word "east."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname East can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions an individual named Eadstan de Est in Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name was already in use in the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the surname East was found in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. In the 13th century, records show a Thomas del Est in Nottinghamshire, and a William del Est in Lincolnshire.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved from the original "de Est" to "Est" and eventually "East." Place names like Eastwood, Eastcourt, and Eastbury may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname East include Sir Thomas East (1568-1629), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament. Another was Edward East (1602-1696), a wealthy merchant and benefactor who funded the construction of East's Library in London.
In the 18th century, Sir William East (1735-1819) was a prominent English lawyer and judge, serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Judicature. He was also known for his work on maritime law.
The 19th century saw the birth of Edward Murray East (1879-1938), a British writer and playwright best known for his comedic plays and novels.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname East was Sir Alfred East (1849-1913), an English landscape painter and etcher who was a prominent member of the Royal Academy of Arts and a founding member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers.
While these are just a few examples, the surname East has a long and rich history in England, reflecting the country's diverse geography and cultural influences over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for East
Among Census respondents with the surname East, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how East 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 East surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 9,616
- Black or African American11.4% · 1,377
- Two or more races4.3% · 517
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 397
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for East
East 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
#2,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,684
+327 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 4.30
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#2,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,028
-656 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.02
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,684 | 12,357 | 4.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,843 | 12,684 | 4.30 | +327 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #2,922 | 12,028 | 4.02 | -656 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 79 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 East 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 | #2,843 | #2,922 | -2.8% |
| Count | 12,684 | 12,028 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.30 | 4.02 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of East bearers went from 12,684 to 12,028 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,843 to #2,922.
FAQ
East surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname East?
Name Census estimates that about 13,793 living Americans carry the surname East. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,850 residents.
How common is East?
East ranks #2,922 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,028 people with the surname East. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,793), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname East.
Has East become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname East went from 12,684 recorded bearers to 12,028. That is a decrease of 656 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,843 to #2,922.
What does the Census say about the background of East?
Among Census respondents with the surname East, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname East in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (9,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
East appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (11.4%), 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 East (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 East mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived to the east of a town or settlement. 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 East (4.02 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 East?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name East on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.