2000
#8,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Essex
A locational surname referring to someone from the county of Essex in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,231 Americans carry the last name Essex. That puts it at #8,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Essex 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 Essex with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,010
Census rank
#8,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,690 bearers of the surname Essex in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Essex, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Essex
The surname Essex originated in the county of Essex, England. It is a locational name deriving from the Old English words 'East' and 'Seaxe', meaning 'East Saxons'. This refers to the ancient Saxon tribe who settled in the region during the 5th century AD after the Romans left Britain.
The name Essex first appeared in records during the 11th century. It is found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this text, various landholders bearing the surname Essex are mentioned, indicating they held estates in the county.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is Robert de Essex, who lived during the 12th century. He was a prominent nobleman and landowner in Essex. Another early bearer was William de Essex, born around 1190, who served as Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire under King John.
Throughout the Middle Ages, variations of the spelling included Essexe, Esseks, and Essix. These reflect the different pronunciations and dialectal forms used in various parts of the county. The modern spelling of Essex became standardized by the 16th century.
A notable Essex was Walter Essex, born in 1520, who was a member of Parliament and played a role in the English Reformation under Henry VIII. In the 17th century, Sir William Essex (1612-1684) was a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who donated funds for the rebuilding of churches and schools in Essex after the Great Fire of London.
During the 18th century, Thomas Essex (1701-1771) was a renowned English architect who designed several country houses and churches in the Essex region. Another bearer was Reverend Robert Essex (1782-1860), an influential Church of England clergyman and author of theological works.
The 19th century saw the birth of Robert Essex (1835-1919), a British explorer and naturalist who led expeditions to East Africa and published accounts of his travels. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Essex, reflecting its long-standing connection to the county of the same name in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Essex
Among Census respondents with the surname Essex, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Essex 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 Essex surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 2,537
- Black or African American22.4% · 825
- Two or more races4.3% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Essex
Essex 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
#8,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,858
+242 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#8,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,690
-168 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,401 | 3,616 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,529 | 3,858 | 1.31 | +242 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #8,557 | 3,690 | 1.23 | -168 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 28 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 Essex 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 | #8,529 | #8,557 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,858 | 3,690 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.23 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Essex bearers went from 3,858 to 3,690 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,529 to #8,557.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Essex
FAQ
Essex surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Essex?
Name Census estimates that about 4,231 living Americans carry the surname Essex. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,010 residents.
How common is Essex?
Essex ranks #8,557 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 3,690 people with the surname Essex. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,231), 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 Essex.
Has Essex become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Essex went from 3,858 recorded bearers to 3,690. That is a decrease of 168 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,529 to #8,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Essex?
Among Census respondents with the surname Essex, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Essex in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (2,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Essex appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Black (22.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Essex (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 Essex mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the county of Essex in England. 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 Essex (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 many people share the surname Essex?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.