2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Etts
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "estuit" meaning narrow box or case.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Etts. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Etts 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Etts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Etts, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Etts
The surname ETTS is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period, specifically the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of East Anglia, which comprises the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire.
ETTS is thought to be a variant or diminutive form of the Old English personal name "Etta," which itself derived from the Germanic root "aud" or "aud-i," meaning "wealth" or "fortune." This name was common among the Anglo-Saxons and was often used as a nickname or shortened version of longer names containing the "aud" element.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname ETTS can be found in various historical documents from the 13th century onwards. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record compiled in 1275, mentions a certain "Robert Ette" residing in the village of Wilburton.
Another notable early reference is found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a collection of legal agreements related to land transfers, which includes an entry from 1310 mentioning a "William Ette" of Maldon.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the ETTS surname was John Etts, who was born around 1520 in the village of Hoxne, Suffolk. He was a landowner and prominent member of the local community.
In the 16th century, the surname ETTS was also found in the village of Bures, near the border of Essex and Suffolk. A notable figure from this area was Thomas Etts, born in 1567, who served as a church warden and is mentioned in parish records from the late 1500s.
Another individual of note was Richard Etts, born in 1612 in the town of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. He was a merchant and trader who was involved in the wool trade, which was a significant industry in East Anglia at the time.
Moving into the 17th century, the ETTS surname began to spread beyond its East Anglian heartland. One example is William Etts, born in 1634 in the city of London, who was a successful merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.
By the 18th century, members of the ETTS family could be found across various parts of England, as well as in some of the American colonies. A notable figure from this period was John Etts (1712-1793), a wealthy landowner and magistrate from Oxfordshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Etts
Among Census respondents with the surname Etts, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Etts 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 Etts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 100
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Etts
Etts 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+30 bearers (+28.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 18,517 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +30 bearers (+28.8%) | Up 18,517 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 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 Etts 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 | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Etts bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Etts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Etts?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Etts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Etts?
Etts ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Etts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Etts.
Has Etts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Etts went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Etts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Etts, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Etts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Etts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Etts (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 Etts mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "estuit" meaning narrow box or case. 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 Etts (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 have the surname Etts?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.