2000
#3,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.69
Uncommon Last name
Eggleston
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Ecgwulf's town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,043 Americans carry the last name Eggleston. That puts it at #3,602 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,038 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eggleston 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 Eggleston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,038
Census rank
#3,602
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,630 bearers of the surname Eggleston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3602nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eggleston, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eggleston
The surname Eggleston is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Eggleston, which is situated in the county of Durham in northeastern England. The place name itself is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ęcg" meaning "ridge" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname likely came from a settlement located on a ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Eggleston can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Durham, a record of financial accounts kept by the Durham Priory, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname Eggleston. However, the place name Eggleston is mentioned, indicating that the settlement existed before the Norman Conquest.
An early notable bearer of the Eggleston surname was John Eggleston, who served as a member of the Parliament of England in 1429 during the reign of Henry VI. Another prominent figure was Sir John Eggleston, a landowner and military commander who fought in the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the Eggleston surname played roles in English history. One such person was Ambrose Eggleston, born in 1565, who was a Protestant minister and author known for his religious works. Additionally, Edward Eggleston (1637-1701) was an English author and translator who published works on theology and philosophy.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Eggleston surname was John Eggleston (1703-1784), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Later, in the 19th century, Edward Eggleston (1837-1902) was an American author and historian who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the realistic fiction genre.
While the surname Eggleston has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, where it was likely brought by early English settlers and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eggleston
Among Census respondents with the surname Eggleston, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Eggleston 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 Eggleston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 7,333
- Black or African American16.7% · 1,612
- Two or more races3.6% · 343
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eggleston
Eggleston 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
#3,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,057
+106 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 246 places
2020
#3,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,630
-427 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,304 | 9,951 | 3.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,550 | 10,057 | 3.41 | +106 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 246 places |
| 2020 | #3,602 | 9,630 | 3.22 | -427 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 52 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 Eggleston 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 | #3,550 | #3,602 | -1.5% |
| Count | 10,057 | 9,630 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 3.22 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eggleston bearers went from 10,057 to 9,630 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,550 to #3,602.
FAQ
Eggleston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eggleston?
Name Census estimates that about 11,043 living Americans carry the surname Eggleston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,038 residents.
How common is Eggleston?
Eggleston ranks #3,602 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.22 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 9,630 people with the surname Eggleston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,043), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.22 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 Eggleston.
Has Eggleston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eggleston went from 10,057 recorded bearers to 9,630. That is a decrease of 427 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,550 to #3,602.
What does the Census say about the background of Eggleston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eggleston, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Eggleston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (7,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eggleston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Black (16.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Eggleston (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 Eggleston mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Ecgwulf's town." 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 Eggleston (3.22 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 Eggleston?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.