2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Etchason
An uncommon occupational surname derived from "etcher," referring to someone who created designs by etching.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Etchason. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Etchason 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Etchason in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Etchason, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Etchason
The surname ETCHASON has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "eachann," which translates to "horse-like" or "resembling a horse." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname upon someone who exhibited equine qualities or physical characteristics reminiscent of a horse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ETCHASON surname can be found in the Parish Records of Kilbride, Ayrshire, Scotland, where a William Etchason was mentioned in 1598. It's believed that the surname may have originated in this region before gradually spreading to other parts of Scotland and beyond.
In the 17th century, the name ETCHASON began to appear in various historical documents, including court records and property deeds. For example, an Alexander Etchason was listed as a landowner in the Burgh Records of Irvine, Ayrshire, in 1643.
While not as prevalent as some other Scottish surnames, the ETCHASON name has been carried by notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was John Etchason (1785-1857), a Scottish-born merchant and entrepreneur who established successful businesses in both Scotland and the United States. Another was Margaret Etchason (1820-1892), a Scottish poet and author whose works were published in several literary journals of the time.
As Scottish emigrants began to settle in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, the ETCHASON surname was transported across the Atlantic. One early example is James Etchason (1753-1823), a Scottish immigrant who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent farmer and landowner in Virginia.
Other notable individuals with the ETCHASON surname include Robert Etchason (1867-1945), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Etchason Woolen Mills in West Virginia, and William Etchason (1901-1987), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Throughout its history, the ETCHASON surname has maintained its Scottish roots and distinctive spelling, serving as a link to its equine-inspired origins and the rich cultural heritage of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Etchason
Among Census respondents with the surname Etchason, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Etchason 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 Etchason surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Etchason
Etchason 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,591 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,591 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,099 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 Etchason 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 | #148,347 | #149,446 | -0.7% |
| Count | 111 | 110 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Etchason bearers went from 111 to 110 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,099 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #149,446.
FAQ
Etchason surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Etchason?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Etchason. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Etchason?
Etchason ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Etchason. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Etchason.
Has Etchason become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Etchason went from 111 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Etchason?
Among Census respondents with the surname Etchason, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Etchason in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Etchason appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Etchason (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 Etchason mean?
An uncommon occupational surname derived from "etcher," referring to someone who created designs by etching. 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 Etchason (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 Etchason?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Etchason, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.