2000
#2,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,941
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.43
Uncommon Last name
Easter
An English surname derived from the Old English word "ēastre," referring to the goddess or the spring festival.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,425 Americans carry the last name Easter. That puts it at #3,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Easter 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 Easter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,531
Census rank
#3,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,707 bearers of the surname Easter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Easter, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (28.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Easter
Among Census respondents with the surname Easter, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (28.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Easter 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 Easter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.9% · 7,369
- Black or African American28.6% · 3,347
- Two or more races4.6% · 535
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 319
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Easter
Easter 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
#2,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,036
+1,095 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Up 4 places
2020
#3,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,707
-1,329 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Down 233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,773 | 11,941 | 4.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,769 | 13,036 | 4.42 | +1,095 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 4 places |
| 2020 | #3,002 | 11,707 | 3.92 | -1,329 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 233 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 Easter 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 | #2,769 | #3,002 | -8.4% |
| Count | 13,036 | 11,707 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.42 | 3.92 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Easter bearers went from 13,036 to 11,707 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 233 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,769 to #3,002.
FAQ
Easter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Easter?
Name Census estimates that about 13,425 living Americans carry the surname Easter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,531 residents.
How common is Easter?
Easter ranks #3,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.92 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 11,707 people with the surname Easter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.92 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 Easter.
Has Easter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Easter went from 13,036 recorded bearers to 11,707. That is a decrease of 1,329 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,769 to #3,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Easter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Easter, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (28.6%) 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 Easter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (7,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Easter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.9%), Black (28.6%), 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 Easter (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 Easter mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "ēastre," referring to the goddess or the spring festival. 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 Easter (3.92 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 Americans have the surname Easter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.