2000
#2,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.88
Uncommon Last name
Emmons
Derived from the Old English personal name "Eadmund," meaning "rich protector" or "wealthy defender."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,579 Americans carry the last name Emmons. That puts it at #2,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emmons 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 Emmons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,510
Census rank
#2,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,714 bearers of the surname Emmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emmons
The surname EMMONS is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "eme" meaning "uncle" and "mund" meaning "protection" or "guardian." It is believed to have originated in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
The name was initially widespread in the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk in East Anglia, where many early bearers of the name were recorded. It is thought that the name was originally an occupational surname given to those who acted as guardians or caretakers for children whose parents had passed away.
One of the earliest known records of the name EMMONS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Emunus" and "Emundes." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land ownership and taxation in England.
In the 13th century, the surname EMMONS appeared in various forms, such as "Eymundes," "Eymondes," and "Eymunds," reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. One notable bearer of the name was John Emunds, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1205.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name became more standardized as "Emmons" or "Emmonds." One notable figure from this period was Richard Emmons, a merchant and alderman of London, who was born in 1568 and died in 1636.
In the 18th century, the EMMONS surname gained prominence in the American colonies, with many immigrants from England settling in New England and other regions. One notable American bearer of the name was Ebenezer Emmons (1701-1779), a minister and educator who served as the first president of Harvard College.
Another notable figure was Nathaniel Emmons (1745-1840), a prominent Congregationalist minister and theologian in Massachusetts. He was known for his influential sermons and writings on Calvinism and the doctrine of divine sovereignty.
In the 19th century, the EMMONS name continued to be well-represented in various fields. Samuel Franklin Emmons (1841-1911) was an American geologist and mining engineer who made significant contributions to the study of ore deposits and mining geology.
Ebenezer Emmons (1799-1863) was an American geologist and naturalist who conducted extensive geological surveys in North Carolina and served as the state's first geologist.
Overall, the surname EMMONS has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been carried by notable individuals in various professions, from clergy and education to geology and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Emmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Emmons 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 Emmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 11,248
- Two or more races4.2% · 533
- Black or African American3.3% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 377
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emmons
Emmons 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
#2,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,493
+331 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 4.57
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#2,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,714
-779 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,518 | 13,162 | 4.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,673 | 13,493 | 4.57 | +331 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #2,761 | 12,714 | 4.25 | -779 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 88 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 Emmons 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 | #2,673 | #2,761 | -3.3% |
| Count | 13,493 | 12,714 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.57 | 4.25 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emmons bearers went from 13,493 to 12,714 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,673 to #2,761.
FAQ
Emmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emmons?
Name Census estimates that about 14,579 living Americans carry the surname Emmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,510 residents.
How common is Emmons?
Emmons ranks #2,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,714 people with the surname Emmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Emmons.
Has Emmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emmons went from 13,493 recorded bearers to 12,714. That is a decrease of 779 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,673 to #2,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Emmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Emmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (11,248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (3.3%). 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 Emmons (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 Emmons mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name "Eadmund," meaning "rich protector" or "wealthy defender." 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 Emmons (4.25 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 common is the surname Emmons?
You can see how many people are called Emmons on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.