2000
#12,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,256
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Eyre
Derived from a place name meaning "gravel bank" in Old English or from the French word for "heir."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,779 Americans carry the last name Eyre. That puts it at #12,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eyre 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 Eyre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,337
Census rank
#12,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,423 bearers of the surname Eyre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eyre
The surname EYRE is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word 'eir' meaning heir. It is believed to have originated in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many French nobles and their families settled in various parts of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Eir' and 'Eyr'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century, likely adopted by individuals who were heirs or held land and property.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the surname began to take on various spellings, such as 'Eyre', 'Eyr', 'Eir', and 'Heir'. This was due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time, as well as the influence of regional dialects and scribes' interpretations.
The name was particularly prevalent in Yorkshire, where it is thought to have originated. This is evidenced by the presence of several place names containing the word 'Eyre', such as Eyre Court in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Eyre Water, a tributary of the River Derwent.
One notable historical figure with the surname EYRE was Sir Robert Eyre (c. 1350-1459), a wealthy landowner and courtier who served as Lord Treasurer of England during the reign of Henry VI. He was also one of the founders of the prestigious Eton College.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Eyre (1499-1572), a successful lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas under Queen Elizabeth I. He is remembered for his fair and impartial judgments, as well as his efforts to reform the legal system.
In the 17th century, the EYRE surname was also associated with the English Civil War. Thomas Eyre (1619-1675) was a Royalist soldier who fought for King Charles I and was later appointed as the Governor of Newark Castle.
A famous literary figure with the surname was Jane Eyre, the fictional protagonist of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name. While the character's name was likely chosen for its symbolic meaning of 'heir', it nonetheless contributed to the recognition of the surname in popular culture.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Sir James Eyre (1734-1799), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia and later as Governor of Grenada. His legacy includes the establishment of several educational institutions and the promotion of free trade policies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eyre
Among Census respondents with the surname Eyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Eyre 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 Eyre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 2,138
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 108
- Two or more races4.2% · 102
- Black or African American1.2% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eyre
Eyre 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
#12,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,374
+118 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 345 places
2020
#12,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,423
+49 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 678 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,596 | 2,256 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,941 | 2,374 | 0.80 | +118 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 345 places |
| 2020 | #12,263 | 2,423 | 0.81 | +49 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 678 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 Eyre 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 | #12,941 | #12,263 | 5.2% |
| Count | 2,374 | 2,423 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.81 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eyre bearers went from 2,374 to 2,423 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 678 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,941 to #12,263.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Eyre
FAQ
Eyre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eyre?
Name Census estimates that about 2,779 living Americans carry the surname Eyre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,337 residents.
How common is Eyre?
Eyre ranks #12,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,423 people with the surname Eyre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Eyre.
Has Eyre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eyre went from 2,374 recorded bearers to 2,423. That is an increase of 49 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,941 to #12,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Eyre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Eyre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (2,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eyre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Eyre (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 Eyre mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "gravel bank" in Old English or from the French word for "heir." 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 Eyre (0.81 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 Eyre?
Want to know how many people are called Eyre? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.