2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Georgetown
A surname derived from the name of a town or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 190 Americans carry the last name Georgetown. That puts it at #112,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,803,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Georgetown 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
190
1 in 1,803,970
Census rank
#112,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 166 bearers of the surname Georgetown in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 112515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Georgetown, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Georgetown
The surname Georgetown is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the place name Georgetown, referring to a town or village near a church or religious institution. The name itself is a combination of the elements "George" and "town," with the former being an English form of the Greek name Georgios, meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Georgetown can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William de Georgetown is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century. The prefix "de" indicates a locative surname, denoting that the person hailed from a place called Georgetown.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Georgeton, Georgetoun, and Georgeton, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation during that era. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record a John de Georgeton from Gloucestershire, while the Poll Tax returns of 1379 list a Thomas Georgeton from Yorkshire.
One notable bearer of the surname Georgetown was Sir John Georgetown (c. 1480-1554), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII. He was known for his involvement in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the acquisition of monastic lands.
Another historically significant figure was Richard Georgetown (1567-1633), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of King's College, Cambridge, from 1609 until his death. He was a renowned scholar and theologian of his time.
In the 17th century, records show the name appearing in various parts of England, including London, where a William Georgetown is documented in the Parish Registers of St. Dunstan's in the West in 1642.
In the 18th century, the surname Georgetown is associated with George Georgetown (1716-1798), a wealthy merchant and politician from Northamptonshire. He served as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1768 and was a member of the influential Georgetown family of that county.
It is worth noting that the surname Georgetown is also closely linked to the place name Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana, which was founded in the late 18th century and named after Britain's King George III. However, the historical connection between the surname and the place name remains uncertain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Georgetown
Among Census respondents with the surname Georgetown, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Georgetown 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 Georgetown surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.0% · 151
- Two or more races4.2% · 7
- White3.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Georgetown
Georgetown 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
-3 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,857 places
2020
#112,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+19 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 8,857 places |
| 2020 | #112,515 | 166 | 0.06 | +19 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 5,670 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 Georgetown 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 | #118,185 | #112,515 | 4.8% |
| Count | 147 | 166 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Georgetown bearers went from 147 to 166 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 5,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #112,515.
FAQ
Georgetown surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Georgetown?
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the surname Georgetown. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,803,970 residents.
How common is Georgetown?
Georgetown ranks #112,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 166 people with the surname Georgetown. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Georgetown.
Has Georgetown become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Georgetown went from 147 recorded bearers to 166. That is an increase of 19 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #118,185 to #112,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Georgetown?
Among Census respondents with the surname Georgetown, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Georgetown in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (151 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Georgetown appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), White (3.6%). 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 Georgetown (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 Georgetown mean?
A surname derived from the name of a town or 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 Georgetown (0.06 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 Georgetown?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Georgetown at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.