2000
#5,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Futrell
Derived from a place name meaning "Futt's hill" in Old English, likely referring to a person from that location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,394 Americans carry the last name Futrell. That puts it at #5,949 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Futrell 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
6.4K
1 in 53,606
Census rank
#5,949
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,576 bearers of the surname Futrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5949th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Futrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Futrell
The surname Futrell is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "futr" and "hyll," meaning "foot" and "hill," respectively. It is thought to have been initially given as a topographic name to someone who lived near a hill or a small hill.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Futrell dates back to 1198, when it appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire as "Foterhill." This document provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late 12th century. Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Fottrell, Footrell, and Fottrill appearing in various historical records.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Futrell was John Fottrell, who was born around 1430 in Wiltshire, England. He was a landowner and is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1436 for the county of Wiltshire. Another notable figure was William Futrell, born in 1505 in Suffolk, England, who was a merchant and is recorded in the Hearth Tax Returns of 1674.
In the 16th century, the Futrell name appeared in the Muster Rolls of 1522 for the county of Somerset, indicating that individuals with this surname were present in that region during that time period. Additionally, the surname is linked to the village of Foothill in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its connection to the Old English words "futr" and "hyll."
One of the earliest immigrants to the American colonies with the surname Futrell was Thomas Futrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He is recorded as being from Gloucestershire, England, and settled in the Virginia colony, where he established a family and became a landowner.
Another notable individual with the Futrell surname was John Futrell, born in 1670 in Somerset, England. He was a prominent merchant and is mentioned in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Somerset, where he was a member of the parish council.
Throughout history, several other individuals with the Futrell surname have made contributions in various fields, such as Edward Futrell (1812-1888), who was a respected lawyer and judge in North Carolina, and Mary Futrell (1856-1932), a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights in Georgia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Futrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Futrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Futrell 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 Futrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.7% · 3,665
- Black or African American26.5% · 1,480
- Two or more races4.3% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Futrell
Futrell 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
#5,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,038
+337 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 153 places
2020
#5,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,576
-462 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 209 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,587 | 5,701 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,740 | 6,038 | 2.05 | +337 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 153 places |
| 2020 | #5,949 | 5,576 | 1.87 | -462 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 209 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 Futrell 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 | #5,740 | #5,949 | -3.6% |
| Count | 6,038 | 5,576 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.87 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Futrell bearers went from 6,038 to 5,576 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 209 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,740 to #5,949.
FAQ
Futrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Futrell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,394 living Americans carry the surname Futrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,606 residents.
How common is Futrell?
Futrell ranks #5,949 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,576 people with the surname Futrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Futrell.
Has Futrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Futrell went from 6,038 recorded bearers to 5,576. That is a decrease of 462 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,740 to #5,949.
What does the Census say about the background of Futrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Futrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Futrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (3,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Futrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.7%), Black (26.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Futrell (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 Futrell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Futt's hill" in Old English, likely referring to a person from that location. 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 Futrell (1.87 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 Futrell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.