2000
#14,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Ebanks
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Eda's bank" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,902 Americans carry the last name Ebanks. That puts it at #11,826 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,110 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ebanks 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 Ebanks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,110
Census rank
#11,826
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,531 bearers of the surname Ebanks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11826th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebanks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and White (16.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ebanks
The surname EBANKS is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, with the earliest recorded spelling being "Ebbanhank" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This name is derived from the Old English words "ebban" meaning "ebb" or "shallow" and "hangr" meaning "hill" or "slope," suggesting that the original bearers of this name lived near a slope or hill by a shallow stream or area of water.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England compiled for William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be early variations of the EBANKS name, such as "Ebbanhangra" and "Ebbanhangre." These entries suggest that the name was present in various parts of England during the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the EBANKS surname was John Ebanks, who was born around 1420 in Leicestershire, England. He was a landowner and farmer, and records show that he owned property in the village of Stanton-under-Bardon.
Another notable EBANKS was Sir Richard Ebanks, born in 1548 in Derbyshire, England. He was a prominent politician and served as a Member of Parliament for Derby in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the EBANKS surname appeared in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire. One notable individual from this period was William Ebanks, born in 1632 in Lancashire, who was a respected scholar and author of several theological works.
During the 18th century, the EBANKS name spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable bearer of the name was Captain James Ebanks, born in 1754 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a renowned naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, the EBANKS surname also found its way to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of immigration and colonization. One prominent individual from this period was John Ebanks, born in 1822 in Yorkshire, England, who later emigrated to Canada and became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Toronto.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ebanks
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebanks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and White (16.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ebanks 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 Ebanks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.0% · 1,366
- Hispanic or Latino22.6% · 571
- White16.7% · 423
- Two or more races5.8% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ebanks
Ebanks 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
#13,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
+489 bearers (+26.1%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 1,589 places
2020
#11,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,531
+172 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 1,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,599 | 1,870 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,010 | 2,359 | 0.80 | +489 bearers (+26.1%) | Up 1,589 places |
| 2020 | #11,826 | 2,531 | 0.85 | +172 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 1,184 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 Ebanks 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 | #13,010 | #11,826 | 9.1% |
| Count | 2,359 | 2,531 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.85 | 5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ebanks bearers went from 2,359 to 2,531 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 1,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,010 to #11,826.
FAQ
Ebanks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ebanks?
Name Census estimates that about 2,902 living Americans carry the surname Ebanks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,110 residents.
How common is Ebanks?
Ebanks ranks #11,826 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,531 people with the surname Ebanks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Ebanks.
Has Ebanks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ebanks went from 2,359 recorded bearers to 2,531. That is an increase of 172 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,010 to #11,826.
What does the Census say about the background of Ebanks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebanks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and White (16.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ebanks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.0% (1,366 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ebanks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.0%), Hispanic (22.6%), White (16.7%). 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 Ebanks (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 Ebanks mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Eda's bank" in Old English. 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 Ebanks (0.85 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 people have the surname Ebanks?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.