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

Empey, 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 Empey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Empey in America

Empey is the 21960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Empey surname appeared 1,182 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 Empey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Empey 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.

The history of the last name Empey

The surname Empey originated in England, believed to have derived from a place name rooted in the Old English words "ent" meaning giant and "hoh" meaning ridge or hill. This suggests the name may have referred to someone living near a prominent hill or ridge.

The earliest known record of the Empey surname dates back to the 13th century in Yorkshire, where it appeared as "Emtehoh" in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. Other early spellings included "Enteho" and "Entehowe".

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records across Yorkshire and Lancashire. Notably, a John Empey was listed in the Wakefield Parish Register in 1592.

The Empey surname continued to be prevalent in northern England throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Documented individuals include William Empey, born in 1645 in Kirkburton, Yorkshire, and Robert Empey, born in 1712 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

As the British Empire expanded, some Empeys migrated to other parts of the world. One notable figure was James Empey, born in 1773 in Yorkshire, who served as a captain in the British Army and fought in the Napoleonic Wars.

In the 19th century, the Empey surname appeared in various parts of the United States and Canada, likely due to immigration from England. One prominent individual was John Empey, born in 1823 in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, who became a successful businessman and politician in Ontario, Canada.

Other notable Empeys throughout history include Arthur Guy Empey, an American author and soldier in World War I, born in 1885 and known for his memoir "Over the Top"; and John Empey, a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of parliament in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Empey

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

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 Empey was:

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 Empey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Empey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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