Ence last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ence

A surname meaning "beginning" or "origin" derived from French.

Ence, 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 Ence surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ence in America

Ence is the 47791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ence surname appeared 443 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 Ence.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ence 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 47791 49159 -2.82%
Count 443 402 9.70%
Proportion per 100k 0.15 0.15 0.00%

The history of the last name Ence

The surname ENCE has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ence," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow or pasture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ENCE can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de la Ence." This early spelling indicates that the name was likely associated with a specific place or location.

In the 14th century, the name ENCE appeared in various forms, such as "Atte Ence" and "Atteence," which further reinforces the connection to a specific place or location. These variations suggest that the name may have originated from a specific meadow or pasture in a particular area.

The ENCE surname has also been linked to place names in different parts of England, such as Ence in Shropshire and Ence in Somerset. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One notable individual with the surname ENCE was John Ence (c. 1480 – c. 1557), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He is known for his involvement in the English Reformation and his support for Protestant reformers.

Another prominent figure was Sir Jonathan Ence (1558 – 1623), an English politician and member of Parliament. He served as the High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1604 and was knighted by King James I in 1618.

In the 17th century, the ENCE surname can be found in various historical records, including the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Lambeth, where the baptism of Thomas Ence was recorded in 1638.

During the 18th century, the ENCE surname gained further recognition with individuals such as William Ence (1717 – 1792), an English lawyer and author who wrote on legal subjects.

The 19th century saw the birth of several notable individuals with the ENCE surname, including James Ence (1816 – 1891), a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery.

While the surname ENCE may have evolved over time and taken on different spellings, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was associated with specific locations and likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow or pasture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ence

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

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 Ence was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.65% 437
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
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 Ence has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 98.65% 97.76% 0.91%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 1.24% -200.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
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 Ence was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Ence last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ence-surname-popularity/.

"Ence last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ence-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

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

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