2000
#3,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.72
Uncommon Last name
Etheridge
English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge where heather grows."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,131 Americans carry the last name Etheridge. That puts it at #3,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Etheridge 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 Etheridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,793
Census rank
#3,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,707 bearers of the surname Etheridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Etheridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Etheridge
The surname Etheridge is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and it is derived from the Old English words "eofor" meaning "wild boar" and "hrycg" meaning "ridge" or "hill." It is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in regions where Anglo-Saxon settlements were established.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Etheridge can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record land ownership and taxation details in England. The name was likely associated with a topographical feature or a place where wild boars were commonly found.
In the 12th century, a variation of the surname, "Everige," appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, indicating the presence of the name in that region. The spelling continued to evolve over time, with variations such as "Everych," "Etherich," and "Etheridge" being recorded in various historical documents.
One notable individual with the surname Etheridge was Sir James Etheridge (1554-1629), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Arundel from 1604 to 1611. He was also appointed as the High Sheriff of Sussex in 1607.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Etheridge (1613-1699), an English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1676 to 1688. He played a significant role in the legal proceedings during the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
In the realm of literature, Thomas Etheridge (1554-1636) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several works, including the play "The Man of Mode" and the poem "The Siege of Rhodes."
The surname Etheridge also gained recognition in the military with individuals like General Charles Etheridge (1813-1885), who served in the United States Army during the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg.
In the field of science, John Etheridge (1926-2001) was a British physicist who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear physics and particle accelerators. He worked at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and received numerous honors, including being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Etheridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Etheridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Etheridge 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 Etheridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 6,960
- Black or African American20.1% · 1,955
- Two or more races3.8% · 370
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 321
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Etheridge
Etheridge 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
#3,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,420
+379 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.53
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#3,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,707
-713 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 3.25
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,271 | 10,041 | 3.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,425 | 10,420 | 3.53 | +379 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #3,581 | 9,707 | 3.25 | -713 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 156 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 Etheridge 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 | #3,425 | #3,581 | -4.6% |
| Count | 10,420 | 9,707 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.53 | 3.25 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Etheridge bearers went from 10,420 to 9,707 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,425 to #3,581.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Etheridge
FAQ
Etheridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Etheridge?
Name Census estimates that about 11,131 living Americans carry the surname Etheridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,793 residents.
How common is Etheridge?
Etheridge ranks #3,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,707 people with the surname Etheridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Etheridge.
Has Etheridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Etheridge went from 10,420 recorded bearers to 9,707. That is a decrease of 713 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,425 to #3,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Etheridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Etheridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Etheridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (6,960 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Etheridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (20.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Etheridge (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 Etheridge mean?
English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge where heather grows." 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 Etheridge (3.25 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 Etheridge?
Want to know how common the surname Etheridge is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.