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

Ensor, 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 Ensor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ensor in America

Ensor is the 13053rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ensor surname appeared 2,352 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ensor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ensor 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 Ensor

The surname ENSOR originates from England, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ænne" and "soor," meaning "at the" and "sandy area," respectively. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who resided in a sandy or arid region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ENSOR can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1196, which mention a certain Robert Ensor. Additionally, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include an entry for a Richard Ensor in Oxfordshire.

The ENSOR surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Enser, Ensore, Ensoure, and Enzer. Some of these alternative spellings can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various county records.

In the 16th century, the ENSOR surname appeared in the parish records of St. Giles in Northampton, where a John Ensor was recorded as having been baptized in 1590. Around the same time, in 1592, a William Ensor was mentioned in the records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick.

One notable figure bearing the ENSOR surname was James Ensor (1860-1949), a renowned Belgian painter and printmaker. He was a prominent figure in the artistic avant-garde movement and is widely regarded as a significant influence on the development of Expressionism and Surrealism.

Another historical figure with the ENSOR surname was George Ensor (1769-1843), an English engraver and writer on the arts. He published several works, including "The Independent Man" and "A Description of the Marbles in the British Museum."

In the 18th century, a certain John Ensor (1734-1808) became known for his involvement in the establishment of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, one of the earliest life insurance companies in Britain.

The ENSOR surname also has connections to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of Thomas Ensor, who settled in Virginia in 1663. Another early American bearer of the name was James Ensor, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1813.

Throughout history, several places have derived their names from the ENSOR surname, such as Ensor's Green in Worcestershire, England, and Ensor's Mill in Maryland, United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ensor

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

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

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

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