2000
#6,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Eastwood
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a wood to the east of a settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,768 Americans carry the last name Eastwood. That puts it at #6,488 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eastwood 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 Eastwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,423
Census rank
#6,488
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,030 bearers of the surname Eastwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6488th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eastwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eastwood
The surname Eastwood is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "east" and "wudu," meaning "eastern wood." It is a locational name, indicating that the original bearer lived near or came from an area situated east of a wooded area or forest.
Eastwood as a surname can be traced back to the 11th century, with early documented instances appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This record includes references to places named Eastwood in various counties, such as Nottinghamshire and Essex.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Eastwood was primarily concentrated in central and eastern England, particularly in areas like Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire. It was often associated with families residing near or owning land in villages or towns with the name Eastwood or variations like Estwood or Estwude.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Estwood, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1185. Another notable figure was William de Eastwood, who held lands in Derbyshire in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1331, which recorded a Simon de Estwood. During the same period, John Estwood was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1379.
The surname Eastwood gained wider recognition in the 16th century with the emergence of notable figures like Michael Eastwood (c. 1510-1565), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
Other prominent individuals bearing the Eastwood surname include:
1. Sir William Eastwood (1768-1829), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted for his achievements.
2. John Eastwood (1824-1908), an English-born Australian politician and pastoralist who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
3. Alice Eastwood (1859-1953), an American botanist and curator of botany at the California Academy of Sciences, known for her contributions to the study of western American flora.
4. Clint Eastwood (born 1930), the renowned American actor, filmmaker, and director, known for iconic roles in westerns and films like "Dirty Harry" and "Million Dollar Baby."
Variations of the Eastwood surname include Eastwoode, Estwode, and Estwude, reflecting the historical spelling variations common in earlier centuries. Additionally, some individuals adopted the name Eastwood as a descriptive surname after settling near an easterly located wood or forest.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eastwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Eastwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eastwood 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 Eastwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 4,426
- Two or more races4.4% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 173
- Black or African American2.7% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eastwood
Eastwood 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
#6,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,247
+134 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#6,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,030
-217 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,170 | 5,113 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,470 | 5,247 | 1.78 | +134 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #6,488 | 5,030 | 1.68 | -217 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 18 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 Eastwood 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 | #6,470 | #6,488 | -0.3% |
| Count | 5,247 | 5,030 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.68 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eastwood bearers went from 5,247 to 5,030 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,470 to #6,488.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Eastwood
FAQ
Eastwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eastwood?
Name Census estimates that about 5,768 living Americans carry the surname Eastwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,423 residents.
How common is Eastwood?
Eastwood ranks #6,488 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,030 people with the surname Eastwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Eastwood.
Has Eastwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eastwood went from 5,247 recorded bearers to 5,030. That is a decrease of 217 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,470 to #6,488.
What does the Census say about the background of Eastwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eastwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Eastwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (4,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eastwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Eastwood (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 Eastwood mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a wood to the east of a 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 Eastwood (1.68 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 Eastwood?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.