2000
#2,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.11
Uncommon Last name
Estep
English occupational surname for someone who lived near a steep hill or worked as a steeplejack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,374 Americans carry the last name Estep. That puts it at #2,627 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Estep 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
15K
1 in 22,294
Census rank
#2,627
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,407 bearers of the surname Estep in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2627th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Estep, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Estep
The surname ESTEP is believed to have originated in medieval England, likely derived from the Old English words "east" and "stepe," meaning "east steep" or "east hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an eastward-facing hill or steep incline.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Some of the earliest spellings found in historical records include "Esteppe," "Estepe," and "Esteppe."
One notable historical reference to the name ESTEP is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a Robert Estep as a taxpayer. Additionally, the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1401, where a John Estep is recorded as a landholder.
In the 15th century, the name ESTEP can be found in various records from Somerset and Gloucestershire, indicating its spread across different regions of England. Some notable individuals from this period include William Estep, a merchant from Bristol mentioned in the city's records in 1472, and John Estep, a landowner in Gloucestershire whose name appears in the Inquisitions Post Mortem of 1489.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ESTEP surname started to appear in other parts of Britain, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable figure from this era was Robert Estep, a Scottish clergyman who served as the minister of Crail in Fife in the early 1600s.
As the British Empire expanded, the ESTEP name was carried to various colonies and settlements around the world. One prominent individual was Captain John Estep, an English explorer and navigator who was part of the Virginia Company's expedition to the New World in the early 1600s. He was among the first settlers of Jamestown, Virginia, and played a significant role in the colony's establishment.
Another notable figure was Sir William Estep (1679-1744), a British military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Madras (now Chennai, India) from 1733 to 1744. He was instrumental in strengthening the East India Company's presence in the region.
While the ESTEP surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, due to migration and colonial expansion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Estep
Among Census respondents with the surname Estep, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Estep 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 Estep surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 11,860
- Two or more races4.0% · 533
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 444
- Black or African American2.9% · 393
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Estep
Estep 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
#2,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,037
+244 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.76
Rank movement Down 164 places
2020
#2,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,407
-630 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,411 | 13,793 | 5.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,575 | 14,037 | 4.76 | +244 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 164 places |
| 2020 | #2,627 | 13,407 | 4.49 | -630 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 52 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 Estep 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 | #2,575 | #2,627 | -2.0% |
| Count | 14,037 | 13,407 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.76 | 4.49 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Estep bearers went from 14,037 to 13,407 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,575 to #2,627.
FAQ
Estep surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Estep?
Name Census estimates that about 15,374 living Americans carry the surname Estep. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,294 residents.
How common is Estep?
Estep ranks #2,627 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,407 people with the surname Estep. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Estep.
Has Estep become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Estep went from 14,037 recorded bearers to 13,407. That is a decrease of 630 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,575 to #2,627.
What does the Census say about the background of Estep?
Among Census respondents with the surname Estep, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Estep in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (11,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Estep appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Estep (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 Estep mean?
English occupational surname for someone who lived near a steep hill or worked as a steeplejack. 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 Estep (4.49 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 have the last name Estep?
If you just want to know how many people are called Estep, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.