Find out how popular the last name Ifill is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ifill.

Ifill, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ifill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ifill in America

Ifill is the 26576th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ifill surname appeared 917 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ifill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ifill to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ifill

The surname Ifill is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in England and Wales. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "yfyll" or "yfyl," which meant "bad" or "evil." Over time, these words evolved into the modern surname Ifill.

During the medieval period, the Ifill name was primarily concentrated in the southwestern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. Historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries show various spellings of the name, such as Yvyll, Yvell, and Yfell.

One of the earliest known references to the Ifill surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a Richard Yvyll. The Ifill name also appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1379, where a William Yvell is listed.

In the 15th century, the name began to spread more widely across England. Notable individuals with the Ifill surname from this period include John Yvell, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Surrey in 1487, and Henry Yvell, a yeoman from Somerset mentioned in the Chancery Proceedings of 1508.

The Ifill name has also been associated with various place names in England. For example, the village of Iffley in Oxfordshire is believed to have derived its name from the Old English "Yffelea," which means "the river of the evil one." Some early Ifill families may have taken their surname from this or similar place names.

Over the centuries, the Ifill surname has been carried by several notable individuals. One prominent example is Sir William Ifill (1683-1754), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1737 to 1742. Another notable figure is John Ifill (1821-1898), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.

Other notable individuals with the Ifill surname include:

1. Grantley Ifill (1904-1978), a Barbadian politician and trade unionist.
2. Sir Neville Ifill (1921-1996), a Barbadian diplomat and politician who served as the second Governor-General of Barbados.
3. Carrie Ifill (born 1964), a British actress and television presenter.
4. Gwen Ifill (1955-2016), an American journalist and author, best known for her work with PBS NewsHour.
5. Shaun Ifill (born 1977), an English former professional footballer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ifill

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ifill.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ifill was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ifill has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ifill was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ifill, please contact us.

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