2000
#11,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Essary
Derived from the Old French essartier, referring to a person who cleared land for cultivation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,885 Americans carry the last name Essary. That puts it at #11,900 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Essary 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
2.9K
1 in 118,806
Census rank
#11,900
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,516 bearers of the surname Essary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11900th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Essary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Essary
The surname Essary is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 16th century. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English word "æsc," meaning ash tree, suggesting that the name was likely derived from a location or landmark associated with ash trees.
One of the earliest documented references to the Essary surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a John Essary was recorded as being baptized in 1592. This suggests that the Essary family had already established itself in the region by that time.
During the 17th century, the Essary surname began to appear in various historical documents across England. In 1635, a William Essary was listed as a landowner in the Hearth Tax records for the village of Aldborough, Yorkshire. Additionally, in 1675, a Thomas Essary was recorded as a witness in a legal document relating to property transactions in the city of Bristol.
The earliest known recorded instance of the Essary surname with a variant spelling is in the form of "Essery," which appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1628, where a Richard Essery is listed as a taxpayer.
One notable individual bearing the Essary surname was Sir William Essary (1670-1745), a prominent merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Bristol from 1720 to 1721. Another historical figure was John Essary (1790-1868), an English clergyman and author who published several works on theology and philosophy.
Other notable bearers of the Essary surname include:
1. Robert Essary (1820-1897), an English architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in London.
2. Emily Essary (1848-1923), a British educator and suffragette who campaigned for women's rights and equal educational opportunities.
3. Henry Essary (1865-1941), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to Africa and authored books on the region's flora and fauna.
4. Elizabeth Essary (1888-1976), an English artist celebrated for her landscape paintings and portraiture.
5. William Essary (1912-1998), a British military officer who served in World War II and later became a respected historian, writing extensively on military affairs.
While the Essary surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Essary
Among Census respondents with the surname Essary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Essary 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 Essary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 2,239
- Two or more races4.6% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Essary
Essary 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
#12,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,583
-11 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 865 places
2020
#11,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,516
-67 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,207 | 2,594 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,072 | 2,583 | 0.88 | -11 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 865 places |
| 2020 | #11,900 | 2,516 | 0.84 | -67 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 172 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 Essary 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 | #12,072 | #11,900 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,583 | 2,516 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.84 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Essary bearers went from 2,583 to 2,516 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,072 to #11,900.
FAQ
Essary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Essary?
Name Census estimates that about 2,885 living Americans carry the surname Essary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,806 residents.
How common is Essary?
Essary ranks #11,900 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,516 people with the surname Essary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Essary.
Has Essary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Essary went from 2,583 recorded bearers to 2,516. That is a decrease of 67 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,072 to #11,900.
What does the Census say about the background of Essary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Essary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Essary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (2,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Essary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Essary (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 Essary mean?
Derived from the Old French essartier, referring to a person who cleared land for cultivation. 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 Essary (0.84 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 Essary?
See how many people are called Essary on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.