Emberson last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Emberson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Emberson.

Meaning of Emberson

An English surname derived from the Old English "Embrihtsunur" meaning "son of Embreht."

Emberson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Emberson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Emberson in America

Emberson is the 51176th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Emberson surname appeared 407 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Emberson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Emberson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 51176 42217 19.19%
Count 407 484 -17.28%
Proportion per 100k 0.14 0.18 -25.00%

The history of the last name Emberson

The surname Emberson has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English words "emmer" or "ember," which referred to a flat, low-lying meadow or pasture land. The name likely originated as a locational surname, indicating that the original bearer lived near or on such a meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emberson can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1301, which mentions a Robert de Emmeresfeld. This suggests that the name may have initially been spelled as "Emmerson" or variations thereof, before evolving into its current form.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Emberson appeared in various records across England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. Notable individuals bearing this surname include John Emberson (c. 1560-1635), a renowned English cartographer and surveyor who produced maps of several counties in the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name Emberson was found in the parish records of Lincolnshire, where a Thomas Emberson (1703-1775) served as a prominent landowner and magistrate. Another notable figure was William Emberson (1722-1798), a respected clergyman and author of several religious texts.

As the British Empire expanded, the name Emberson also spread to different parts of the world. One notable bearer was Sir James Emberson (1832-1901), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Malta from 1890 to 1893.

In the United States, the name Emberson can be traced back to the late 18th century, with some of the earliest recorded instances found in the state of Virginia. One prominent American with this surname was Ezra Emberson (1801-1863), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Pennsylvania.

Throughout its history, the surname Emberson has been associated with various occupations and professions, from landed gentry and clergy to artists, writers, and military personnel. While not among the most common surnames, it has left a notable mark across various regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Emberson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Emberson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Emberson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.91% 370
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.70% 11
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.18% 17
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Emberson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 90.91% 94.01% -3.35%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.70% 2.27% 17.30%
Two or More Races 4.18% 2.27% 59.22%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Emberson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Emberson, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Emberson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/emberson-surname-popularity/.

"Emberson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/emberson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Emberson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/emberson-surname-popularity/.

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