2000
#2,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.09
Uncommon Last name
Echols
Derived from a place name meaning "Eccles' hill," referring to someone who lived near a church on a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,060 Americans carry the last name Echols. That puts it at #2,508 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Echols 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
16K
1 in 21,342
Census rank
#2,508
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,005 bearers of the surname Echols in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2508th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Echols, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.8%. The next largest groups are White (45.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Echols
The surname Echols is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "eccleshale" or "eccleshall," which means "church hall" or "church nook." This name is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, in the English county of Staffordshire.
The name Echols is a locational surname, which means it was originally given to someone who lived near or came from a place called Eccleshall. This was a common practice in England during the Middle Ages when surnames were first adopted as a way to distinguish individuals from others in their community.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Echols can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which list a person named John de Eccleshale. The name was also documented in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1379, where a Robert de Eccleshall is mentioned.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Echols, Eckles, Eccles, and Eccleshall, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. It is believed that the Echols spelling became more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries as the name spread beyond its original geographical region.
One notable individual with the surname Echols was Sir Samuel Echols (1594-1670), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire during the reign of Charles I. Another early bearer of the name was John Echols (1625-1692), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Echols (1723-1799) was a successful merchant and landowner in Virginia, United States. He played a significant role in the early settlement and development of the colony.
Another notable individual was James Echols (1768-1844), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a brigadier general in the Tennessee militia.
In more recent history, Robert S. Echols (1920-2006) was an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas from 1981 to 1985.
While the surname Echols has roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in North America, through immigration and migration. The name continues to be borne by individuals of diverse backgrounds and nationalities, reflecting its historical journey from a small English village to a global presence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Echols
Among Census respondents with the surname Echols, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.8%. The next largest groups are White (45.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Echols 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 Echols surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.8% · 6,417
- White45.1% · 6,316
- Two or more races4.8% · 676
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 470
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Echols
Echols 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
#2,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,456
+715 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.90
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#2,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,005
-451 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.69
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,417 | 13,741 | 5.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,501 | 14,456 | 4.90 | +715 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #2,508 | 14,005 | 4.69 | -451 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 7 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 Echols 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 | #2,501 | #2,508 | -0.3% |
| Count | 14,456 | 14,005 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.90 | 4.69 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Echols bearers went from 14,456 to 14,005 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,501 to #2,508.
FAQ
Echols surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Echols?
Name Census estimates that about 16,060 living Americans carry the surname Echols. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,342 residents.
How common is Echols?
Echols ranks #2,508 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,005 people with the surname Echols. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Echols.
Has Echols become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Echols went from 14,456 recorded bearers to 14,005. That is a decrease of 451 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,501 to #2,508.
What does the Census say about the background of Echols?
Among Census respondents with the surname Echols, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.8%. The next largest groups are White (45.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Echols in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.8% (6,417 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Echols appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.8%), White (45.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Echols (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 Echols mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Eccles' hill," referring to someone who lived near a church on a hill. 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 Echols (4.69 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 Echols?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.