2000
#8,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,732
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Eskew
Derived from the Old French word "escu," meaning "shield," likely referring to a shield maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,208 Americans carry the last name Eskew. That puts it at #8,596 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eskew 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
4.2K
1 in 81,453
Census rank
#8,596
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,670 bearers of the surname Eskew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8596th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskew, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eskew
The surname ESKEW originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "escua," meaning "ash tree." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near a prominent ash tree or a wooded area with an abundance of ash trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the ESKEW surname can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries. It appears in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled "Eschewe." Similar spellings, such as "Eskew" and "Eskue," can be found in other medieval records from different regions of England.
One notable historical reference to the ESKEW surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086. This comprehensive survey of land ownership in England at the time includes an entry for a landowner named "Eskewe" in Lincolnshire. While the spelling differs slightly, it is likely an early variant of the modern ESKEW surname.
In the 16th century, the name ESKEW appears in various parish records and tax rolls across England. One notable bearer from this period was John Eskew, a merchant who lived in London during the late 1500s.
The ESKEW surname also has connections to several place names in England. For instance, the village of Askew in Yorkshire may have derived its name from the same Old English word that gave rise to the surname. Additionally, the town of Askew Bridge in Cumbria likely has a similar etymological origin.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the ESKEW surname. These include:
1. Robert Eskew (c. 1495-1560), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in the mid-16th century.
2. Anne Eskew (c. 1520-1546), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for her religious beliefs during the reign of Henry VIII.
3. Samuel Eskew (1673-1738), an English Quaker minister and prominent figure in the early Quaker movement.
4. Jonathan Eskew (1718-1793), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky.
5. Mary Eskew (1799-1873), an American artist and painter known for her portraits of notable figures in the antebellum South.
These examples illustrate the long and diverse history of the ESKEW surname, spanning multiple centuries and various walks of life, from political figures and religious leaders to soldiers and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eskew
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskew, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Eskew 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 Eskew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 3,123
- Black or African American5.6% · 206
- Two or more races4.7% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eskew
Eskew 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
#8,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,834
+102 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#8,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,670
-164 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,171 | 3,732 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,590 | 3,834 | 1.30 | +102 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #8,596 | 3,670 | 1.23 | -164 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 6 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 Eskew 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 | #8,590 | #8,596 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,834 | 3,670 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.23 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eskew bearers went from 3,834 to 3,670 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,590 to #8,596.
FAQ
Eskew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eskew?
Name Census estimates that about 4,208 living Americans carry the surname Eskew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,453 residents.
How common is Eskew?
Eskew ranks #8,596 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,670 people with the surname Eskew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,208), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Eskew.
Has Eskew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eskew went from 3,834 recorded bearers to 3,670. That is a decrease of 164 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,590 to #8,596.
What does the Census say about the background of Eskew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskew, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Eskew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (3,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eskew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Eskew (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 Eskew mean?
Derived from the Old French word "escu," meaning "shield," likely referring to a shield maker or seller. 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 Eskew (1.23 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 common is the surname Eskew?
You can see how many people have the surname Eskew on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.