2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Eskine
A locational surname derived from places named Erskine in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Eskine. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eskine 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Eskine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eskine
The surname Eskine is of Scottish origin, originating in the Renfrewshire region of Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the old Gaelic words "eis" meaning "a ridge of land" and "innis" meaning "island or peninsula," suggesting the name may have originally referred to a geographical location or landform.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval Scottish charters and documents, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the surname Eskine or similar spellings like Erskine or Arskine. One notable entry is that of Sir John Erskine, who swore fealty to King Edward I of England in 1296.
Over the centuries, the Erskine family became prominent landowners and influential figures in Scottish history. One of the most famous members was John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar (1558-1634), who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and served as Regent of Scotland during the minority of King James VI.
Another notable individual was Sir Thomas Erskine (1750-1823), a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1806 to 1807. He was instrumental in passing the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807, which banned the British slave trade.
In the literary world, Ralph Erskine (1685-1752) was a Scottish minister and poet who authored several religious works, including the popular "Gospel Sonnets" published in 1738.
The name Erskine is also linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Erskine Bridge, spanning the River Clyde, and the town of Erskine, located in Renfrewshire. These place names likely originated from the Erskine family's landholdings in the area.
Over time, the surname has spread beyond Scotland to various parts of the world, with notable individuals carrying the name Eskine or its variants, such as American architect John Erskine (1879-1951) and English actor Gwendoline Christie (born 1978), best known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in the HBO series "Game of Thrones."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eskine
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Eskine 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 Eskine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 104
- Black or African American9.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eskine
Eskine 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
-11 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,759 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-17 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,767 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | -11 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 14,759 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 16,767 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 Eskine 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 | #125,282 | #142,049 | -13.4% |
| Count | 137 | 120 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eskine bearers went from 137 to 120 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 16,767 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #142,049.
FAQ
Eskine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eskine?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Eskine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Eskine?
Eskine ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Eskine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Eskine.
Has Eskine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eskine went from 137 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Eskine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Eskine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eskine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (9.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Eskine (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 Eskine mean?
A locational surname derived from places named Erskine in Scotland. 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 Eskine (0.04 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 are called Eskine?
See how many people have the surname Eskine on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.