2000
#14,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Easterwood
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eastern wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,173 Americans carry the last name Easterwood. That puts it at #14,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Easterwood 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,733
Census rank
#14,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,895 bearers of the surname Easterwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Easterwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Easterwood
The surname Easterwood has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, possibly referring to a location or settlement situated near an eastward-facing woodland area. This combination of geographical markers was commonly used in the formation of surnames during that era.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Easterwood can be found in the Worcestershire County Records of the late 13th century, where a certain John de Easterwood is mentioned as a landholder. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.
In the 14th century, the Easterwood family appeared to have gained prominence in the county of Somerset. A notable figure from this period was Robert Easterwood, a wealthy merchant and landowner who was involved in local politics and served as a sheriff in 1367.
As the centuries progressed, the Easterwood name continued to be found in various historical records and documents across different regions of England. One particularly intriguing reference comes from the Court Rolls of Lincolnshire in the early 16th century, which mention a dispute over land ownership involving a Thomas Easterwood.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling were common during earlier times, and the name Easterwood was sometimes recorded as Esterwode, Esterwud, or even Esterwode, reflecting the fluidity of orthography in those days.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Easterwood surname throughout history, one can mention Sir William Easterwood (1597-1671), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Another notable figure was Mary Easterwood (1721-1789), a renowned botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the British Isles.
In the realm of literature, the name Easterwood is associated with the acclaimed 19th-century novelist and poet, John Easterwood (1812-1878), whose works explored themes of rural life and the changing social landscape of Victorian England.
Moving into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the achievements of Sir Robert Easterwood (1901-1987), a pioneering aerospace engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early jet propulsion systems and helped shape the field of aeronautical engineering.
While the surname Easterwood may have originated from a specific geographic location, its carriers have left an indelible mark across various walks of life, from law and science to literature and technology, contributing to the rich tapestry of English history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Easterwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Easterwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Easterwood 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 Easterwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 1,463
- Black or African American13.8% · 262
- Two or more races4.2% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Easterwood
Easterwood 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
#14,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,991
+69 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 578 places
2020
#14,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,895
-96 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,292 | 1,922 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,870 | 1,991 | 0.67 | +69 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 578 places |
| 2020 | #14,974 | 1,895 | 0.63 | -96 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 104 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 Easterwood 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 | #14,870 | #14,974 | -0.7% |
| Count | 1,991 | 1,895 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Easterwood bearers went from 1,991 to 1,895 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,870 to #14,974.
FAQ
Easterwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Easterwood?
Name Census estimates that about 2,173 living Americans carry the surname Easterwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,733 residents.
How common is Easterwood?
Easterwood ranks #14,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,895 people with the surname Easterwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Easterwood.
Has Easterwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Easterwood went from 1,991 recorded bearers to 1,895. That is a decrease of 96 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,870 to #14,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Easterwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Easterwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Easterwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (1,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Easterwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Easterwood (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 Easterwood mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eastern wood." 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 Easterwood (0.63 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 common is the surname Easterwood?
Want to know how many people are called Easterwood? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.