2000
#25,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 888
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Esplin
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse personal name "Espelingr".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,480 Americans carry the last name Esplin. That puts it at #20,745 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 231,591 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esplin 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 Esplin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 231,591
Census rank
#20,745
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,291 bearers of the surname Esplin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20745th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esplin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esplin
The surname Esplin is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English words "east" and "lynn" meaning "east of the pool" or "east of the stream". It is believed to have originated as a locational name in the region of Lothian, Scotland, during the 12th century.
Esplin is a variation of the more common spelling "Elphinstone", which can be traced back to the village of Elphinstone in East Lothian, Scotland. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists William de Elphinstone as a landowner who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.
In the 15th century, the Elphinstone family rose to prominence in Scottish society, with several members holding influential positions in the church and government. One notable figure was William Elphinstone (1431-1514), who served as Bishop of Aberdeen and founded the University of Aberdeen in 1495.
Another prominent individual with the Esplin surname was Sir James Elphinstone (1557-1624), who was a Scottish politician and diplomat during the reign of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He played a crucial role in the Union of the Crowns in 1603 and was appointed as Lord High Treasurer of Scotland.
In the 17th century, the Esplin surname can be found in various records, including the Parish Registers of Aberdeenshire, which mention individuals such as John Esplin (1620-1689) and Margaret Esplin (1635-1701).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Esplin spelling appears in the Aberdeen Council Registers of 1696, which references a merchant named Alexander Esplin. This spelling variation likely arose due to regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
Throughout the centuries, the Esplin surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. James Esplin (1793-1868), a Scottish soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a successful businessman in Canada.
2. Mary Esplin (1822-1892), a Scottish-born poet and author who published several collections of verse and prose in Canada.
3. Robert Esplin (1856-1934), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
4. William Esplin (1876-1962), a Scottish-born architect who designed several notable buildings in South Africa, including the Durban City Hall.
5. Margaret Esplin (1900-1984), a British author and playwright whose works explored themes of social injustice and women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esplin
Among Census respondents with the surname Esplin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Esplin 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 Esplin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,199
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 42
- Two or more races2.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esplin
Esplin 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
#23,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,102
+214 bearers (+24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 2,816 places
2020
#20,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,291
+189 bearers (+17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 2,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,969 | 888 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,153 | 1,102 | 0.37 | +214 bearers (+24.1%) | Up 2,816 places |
| 2020 | #20,745 | 1,291 | 0.43 | +189 bearers (+17.2%) | Up 2,408 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 Esplin 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 | #23,153 | #20,745 | 10.4% |
| Count | 1,102 | 1,291 | 17.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.43 | 16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esplin bearers went from 1,102 to 1,291 (+17.2% change). The surname moved up 2,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,153 to #20,745.
FAQ
Esplin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esplin?
Name Census estimates that about 1,480 living Americans carry the surname Esplin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 231,591 residents.
How common is Esplin?
Esplin ranks #20,745 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,291 people with the surname Esplin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Esplin.
Has Esplin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esplin went from 1,102 recorded bearers to 1,291. That is an increase of 189 (+17.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,153 to #20,745.
What does the Census say about the background of Esplin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esplin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Esplin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esplin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Esplin (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 Esplin mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse personal name "Espelingr". 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 Esplin (0.43 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 Esplin?
Want to know how many people are called Esplin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.