2000
#12,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,263
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Ezzell
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "spring by the ash tree" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,471 Americans carry the last name Ezzell. That puts it at #13,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ezzell 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
2.5K
1 in 138,711
Census rank
#13,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,155 bearers of the surname Ezzell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ezzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ezzell
The surname Ezzell originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "edisc," meaning "rich pasture" or "fertile land," indicating that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked on or owned such land.
One of the earliest known records of the name Ezzell appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where a certain John Ezzell was christened in 1592. Another early reference is found in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, where a John Ezzell of Stepney, Middlesex, had his will probated in 1629.
The Ezzell surname is sometimes found with variations in spelling, such as Edzell, Edzel, and Edzill, which further supports its connection to the Old English word "edisc." These spelling variations were common in the era before standardized spellings became widely adopted.
In the 17th century, the Ezzell name appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. One notable bearer of the name was William Ezzell, a merchant from Nottingham who was involved in the wool trade and recorded in the borough records of 1647.
During the 18th century, the Ezzell family spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable example is Robert Ezzell, a Scottish soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War and was captured at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
Another significant figure bearing the Ezzell name was Sir Thomas Ezzell, an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Grimsby in Lincolnshire from 1768 to 1784. He was also a prominent figure in the local community and held various positions of authority.
In the 19th century, the Ezzell surname continued to be found throughout the United Kingdom, with several notable individuals emerging. One such person was James Ezzell, an English chemist and industrialist born in 1825, who made significant contributions to the development of the chemical industry in the North of England.
Overall, the surname Ezzell has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in the Old English language and initially connected to agricultural occupations. The name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, soldiers, politicians, and industrialists, further enriching its legacy across different regions of the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ezzell
Among Census respondents with the surname Ezzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ezzell 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 Ezzell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,929
- Two or more races4.2% · 90
- Black or African American3.3% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ezzell
Ezzell 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
#13,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,298
+35 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 713 places
2020
#13,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
-143 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,558 | 2,263 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,271 | 2,298 | 0.78 | +35 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 713 places |
| 2020 | #13,493 | 2,155 | 0.72 | -143 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 222 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 Ezzell 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 | #13,271 | #13,493 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,298 | 2,155 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ezzell bearers went from 2,298 to 2,155 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 222 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,271 to #13,493.
FAQ
Ezzell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ezzell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,471 living Americans carry the surname Ezzell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,711 residents.
How common is Ezzell?
Ezzell ranks #13,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,155 people with the surname Ezzell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Ezzell.
Has Ezzell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ezzell went from 2,298 recorded bearers to 2,155. That is a decrease of 143 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,271 to #13,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Ezzell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ezzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (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 Ezzell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ezzell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (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 Ezzell (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 Ezzell mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "spring by the ash tree" in Old English. 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 Ezzell (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Ezzell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.