2000
#4,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,674
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Rare Last name
Eaves
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked on the eaves of houses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,659 Americans carry the last name Eaves. That puts it at #4,560 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,584 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eaves 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 Eaves with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,584
Census rank
#4,560
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,551 bearers of the surname Eaves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4560th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaves, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eaves
The surname Eaves is of English origin, originating in the northern counties of England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "efes," which means "projecting edge of a roof" or "eaves."
The Eaves surname likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or adjacent to the eaves or overhanging edge of a roof. It may have also been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent or noticeable brow ridge or eyebrow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Eaves name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a person named Richard de Eaves. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list an Adam de Eves in Cambridgeshire.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to places with names similar to Eaves, such as Evesham in Worcestershire and Evedon in Lincolnshire, which may have been the origin of some Eaves surnames.
Notable individuals with the Eaves surname throughout history include:
1. Richard Eaves (1634-1686), an English Quaker and early settler in Pennsylvania.
2. John Eaves (1770-1839), an English cricketer who played for Hampshire during the early days of the sport.
3. Thomas Eaves (1785-1859), a British architect and surveyor who designed several churches and buildings in Liverpool.
4. Jane Eaves (1840-1898), a British novelist and children's author known for her book "The Brownies and Other Tales."
5. Walter Eaves (1892-1982), an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs, including Manchester United and Blackpool.
The Eaves surname has been found in various place names and locations across England, such as Eaves Green in Shropshire, Eaves Brook in Lancashire, and Eaves Ash in Staffordshire, further reflecting the geographic and topographic origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eaves
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaves, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eaves 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 Eaves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 6,027
- Black or African American10.1% · 766
- Two or more races4.4% · 329
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eaves
Eaves 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
#4,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,902
+228 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#4,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,551
-351 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,273 | 7,674 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,489 | 7,902 | 2.68 | +228 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #4,560 | 7,551 | 2.53 | -351 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 71 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 Eaves 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 | #4,489 | #4,560 | -1.6% |
| Count | 7,902 | 7,551 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.68 | 2.53 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eaves bearers went from 7,902 to 7,551 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,489 to #4,560.
FAQ
Eaves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eaves?
Name Census estimates that about 8,659 living Americans carry the surname Eaves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,584 residents.
How common is Eaves?
Eaves ranks #4,560 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,551 people with the surname Eaves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,659), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Eaves.
Has Eaves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eaves went from 7,902 recorded bearers to 7,551. That is a decrease of 351 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,489 to #4,560.
What does the Census say about the background of Eaves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaves, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Eaves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (6,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eaves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Eaves (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 Eaves mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked on the eaves of houses. 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 Eaves (2.53 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 Eaves?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.