2000
#3,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,379
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.11
Rare Last name
Embry
Derived from a place name meaning "flat-topped hill" in Old English, or from the given name Emery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,760 Americans carry the last name Embry. That puts it at #4,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,118 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Embry 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 Embry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,118
Census rank
#4,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,511 bearers of the surname Embry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Embry, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Embry
The surname Embry has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "embrier," meaning "to embrace" or "to envelop." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person's occupation or role, perhaps someone who worked with fabrics or clothing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Embry appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Embry is mentioned. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, indicating that the name was already established by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname Embry can be found in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Robert Embry. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Embury" or "Emebury," reflecting the variations in spelling common in medieval times.
The Embry surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Richard Embry, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 14th century. He was a landowner in Warwickshire and served as a knight during the reign of Edward III.
In the 16th century, the name appears in church records, such as the baptismal register of St. Mary's Church in Olney, Buckinghamshire, where a child named John Embry was baptized in 1564.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a man named Thomas Embry fought on the Parliamentarian side against King Charles I. He was a captain in the New Model Army and participated in several battles, including the decisive Battle of Naseby in 1645.
Another notable figure was Sir John Embry, a prominent merchant and politician who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southwark and was involved in trade with the British colonies in North America.
In the 19th century, a botanist named Mary Embry (1823-1901) made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the American West. She was one of the first female botanists to explore regions like Utah and Nevada, collecting and documenting numerous plant specimens.
The Embry surname has also been associated with several places in England, such as Embry Hill in Worcestershire and Embry Farm in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
While the origins of the Embry surname can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through migration and immigration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Embry
Among Census respondents with the surname Embry, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Embry 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 Embry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.4% · 6,080
- Black or African American19.4% · 1,650
- Two or more races4.9% · 415
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Embry
Embry 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
#4,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,675
+296 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#4,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,511
-164 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,894 | 8,379 | 3.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,092 | 8,675 | 2.94 | +296 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #4,051 | 8,511 | 2.85 | -164 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 41 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 Embry 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 | #4,092 | #4,051 | 1.0% |
| Count | 8,675 | 8,511 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.94 | 2.85 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Embry bearers went from 8,675 to 8,511 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,092 to #4,051.
FAQ
Embry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Embry?
Name Census estimates that about 9,760 living Americans carry the surname Embry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,118 residents.
How common is Embry?
Embry ranks #4,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.85 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 8,511 people with the surname Embry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.85 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 Embry.
Has Embry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Embry went from 8,675 recorded bearers to 8,511. That is a decrease of 164 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,092 to #4,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Embry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Embry, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Embry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (6,080 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Embry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.4%), Black (19.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Embry (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 Embry mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "flat-topped hill" in Old English, or from the given name Emery. 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 Embry (2.85 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 last name Embry?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Embry on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.