2000
#10,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Enloe
From a place name meaning "lonely" or "solitary" in Old English, likely referring to a remote dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,048 Americans carry the last name Enloe. That puts it at #11,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Enloe 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 112,452
Census rank
#11,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,658 bearers of the surname Enloe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Enloe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Enloe
The surname Enloe is believed to have originated in England, likely deriving from a place name or topographic feature. One theory suggests it may be derived from the Old English words "enede" (meaning "duck") and "hlaw" (meaning "hill" or "mound"), potentially referring to a hill or mound where ducks gathered.
Another possible origin traces the name back to the Norman French word "enloe," meaning "in the meadow." This could indicate that early bearers of the name lived or worked in a meadow or grassland area.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Enloe can be found in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in England. For example, the surname appears in the parish records of St. Dunstan's in Stepney, London, in 1587, with the entry of a Thomas Enloe.
One notable early bearer of the Enloe surname was John Enloe, who was born in England around 1620. He later emigrated to the American colonies, settling in Virginia in the mid-17th century. This branch of the Enloe family went on to establish roots in various parts of the United States, particularly in the Southern states.
In the 18th century, the Enloe surname can be found in various historical records, including the 1790 Census of Virginia, which lists several Enloe households in different counties.
Another prominent individual with the Enloe surname was James Enloe, born in North Carolina in 1779. He served as a soldier during the War of 1812 and later became a prominent landowner and farmer in Tennessee.
The 19th century saw the Enloe surname continue to spread across the United States. One notable figure was Benjamin Enloe, born in 1818 in Tennessee. He was a successful businessman and landowner, and played a significant role in the development of the town of Enloe, Texas, which was named after him.
In the early 20th century, the Enloe name gained further recognition with the accomplishments of Mary Enloe, born in 1885 in Tennessee. She was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, serving as the president of the Tennessee Federation of Women's Clubs and playing a key role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Enloe
Among Census respondents with the surname Enloe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Enloe 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 Enloe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 2,371
- Two or more races4.9% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 52
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Enloe
Enloe 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
#11,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,778
-53 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 929 places
2020
#11,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,658
-120 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,426 | 2,831 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,355 | 2,778 | 0.94 | -53 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 929 places |
| 2020 | #11,346 | 2,658 | 0.89 | -120 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 9 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 Enloe 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 | #11,355 | #11,346 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,778 | 2,658 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.89 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Enloe bearers went from 2,778 to 2,658 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,355 to #11,346.
FAQ
Enloe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Enloe?
Name Census estimates that about 3,048 living Americans carry the surname Enloe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,452 residents.
How common is Enloe?
Enloe ranks #11,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,658 people with the surname Enloe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,048), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Enloe.
Has Enloe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Enloe went from 2,778 recorded bearers to 2,658. That is a decrease of 120 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,355 to #11,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Enloe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Enloe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Enloe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (2,371 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Enloe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Enloe (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 Enloe mean?
From a place name meaning "lonely" or "solitary" in Old English, likely referring to a remote dwelling. 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 Enloe (0.89 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 Enloe?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Enloe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.