2000
#2,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.97
Uncommon Last name
Ennis
From the Irish Gaelic "Ó hAonghusa," meaning "descendant of Angus," a personal name meaning "unique strength."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,915 Americans carry the last name Ennis. That puts it at #2,271 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ennis 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 Ennis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,132
Census rank
#2,271
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,623 bearers of the surname Ennis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2271st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ennis, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ennis
The surname Ennis has its origins in Ireland, where it first appeared around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "innis," which means "island" or "river meadow." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or on an island or riverbank.
The name Ennis is particularly associated with County Clare in the west of Ireland, where the town of Ennis is located. This town dates back to the 13th century and was once an important center of trade and commerce. It's possible that the surname originated from this location and spread from there.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ennis can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention an individual named Ennis O'Brien, who was a chieftain of the O'Brien clan in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Monarchs, a collection of documents relating to Ireland during the reign of the Tudor dynasty. These records mention several individuals with the surname Ennis, including John Ennis, who was granted lands in County Longford in 1591.
One notable bearer of the name Ennis was Sir Walter Ennis (1565-1625), an Irish soldier and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for County Down in the early 17th century. Another was Sir John Ennis (1614-1683), an Irish judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.
In the 18th century, the name Ennis was associated with the Irish diaspora, as many individuals with this surname emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada. For example, James Ennis (1760-1820) was an Irish immigrant to Pennsylvania who became a successful merchant and landowner.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ennis include the British actor Wilfred Ennis (1884-1967), known for his roles in films such as "The Winslow Boy" and "The Lady Vanishes," and the American baseball player Del Ennis (1925-1996), who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940s and 1950s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ennis
Among Census respondents with the surname Ennis, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ennis 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 Ennis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 12,375
- Black or African American12.1% · 1,898
- Two or more races4.4% · 686
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 455
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ennis
Ennis 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
#2,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,419
+317 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 5.57
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#2,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,623
-796 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 5.23
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,061 | 16,102 | 5.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,220 | 16,419 | 5.57 | +317 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #2,271 | 15,623 | 5.23 | -796 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 51 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 Ennis 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 | #2,220 | #2,271 | -2.3% |
| Count | 16,419 | 15,623 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.57 | 5.23 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ennis bearers went from 16,419 to 15,623 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,220 to #2,271.
FAQ
Ennis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ennis?
Name Census estimates that about 17,915 living Americans carry the surname Ennis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,132 residents.
How common is Ennis?
Ennis ranks #2,271 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,623 people with the surname Ennis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Ennis.
Has Ennis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ennis went from 16,419 recorded bearers to 15,623. That is a decrease of 796 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,220 to #2,271.
What does the Census say about the background of Ennis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ennis, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Ennis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (12,375 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ennis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Ennis (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 Ennis mean?
From the Irish Gaelic "Ó hAonghusa," meaning "descendant of Angus," a personal name meaning "unique strength." 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 Ennis (5.23 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 Ennis?
Want to know how many people have the surname Ennis? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.