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

Easter, 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 Easter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Easter in America

Easter is the 2769th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Easter surname appeared 13,036 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Easter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Easter 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 Easter

The surname Easter is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "ēastre," which means "east." This name likely originated in the Middle Ages, when it was common practice to use directional terms as surnames to identify people from a particular region or location.

In medieval England, the surname Easter may have been given to individuals who lived in the eastern part of a town or village, or those who had migrated from the east. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with entries in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mention individuals named Robert le Ester and William le Ester.

The surname Easter has been subject to various spelling variations over the centuries, including Ester, Estre, and Easters. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Sir John Easter, a wealthy English merchant and alderman from London, who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1399 and was a prominent figure in the city's affairs.

Another historical figure with the surname Easter was Richard Easter, an English politician and landowner who lived in the 16th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1558 and played a role in the political turmoil surrounding the reign of Queen Mary I.

In the 17th century, the surname Easter can be found in records from various parts of England, including the parish registers of Wiltshire, where a family named Easter resided in the village of Bishops Cannings.

One notable bearer of the name in later centuries was John Easter, an English engraver and artist who lived from 1784 to 1834. He was known for his engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects, and his works were exhibited at the Royal Academy.

Another individual of note was William Easter, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He participated in several notable battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and rose to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy.

While the surname Easter is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history dating back to medieval times, reflecting the diverse origins and migrations of people across the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Easter

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

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 Easter 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 Easter 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 Easter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!