2000
#11,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,572
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Inglis
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "English" or "of the English."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,931 Americans carry the last name Inglis. That puts it at #11,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Inglis 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 Inglis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,941
Census rank
#11,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,556 bearers of the surname Inglis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Inglis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Inglis
The surname INGLIS originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "Englisc," meaning "English." The name likely referred to someone of English descent living in Scotland or someone who had close ties to England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname INGLIS appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage letters sent to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The spelling variations found in these rolls include Inglis, Inglis, and Inglys.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the INGLIS surname was concentrated in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. This proximity to England may have contributed to the surname's association with English heritage.
In the 15th century, the INGLIS family gained prominence with the rise of Sir John Inglis (c. 1420-1494), a Scottish knight and courtier who served as Lord of the Bedchamber to King James III. His descendants continued to hold influential positions in Scottish society.
Another notable figure bearing the INGLIS surname was Sir John Inglis (1558-1594), a Scottish landowner and member of the Privy Council of Scotland during the reign of King James VI.
The INGLIS name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Inglisfield and Inglistown, which may have influenced the surname's development.
Other notable individuals with the INGLIS surname include:
1. John Inglis, 1st Viscount of Inglis (1647-1718), a Scottish soldier and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland.
2. John Inglis (1789-1851), a Scottish minister and writer known for his work on ecclesiastical history.
3. Sir John Inglis (1776-1857), a Scottish-born British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Sikh Wars.
4. Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis (1814-1862), a Scottish-born British Army officer who played a crucial role in the defence of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
5. John Inglis (1842-1919), a Scottish engineer and industrialist who founded the Inglis shipbuilding company in Toronto, Canada.
The surname INGLIS has a rich history deeply rooted in Scotland's past, with connections to both English and Scottish heritage, as well as notable figures who have left their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Inglis
Among Census respondents with the surname Inglis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Inglis 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 Inglis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 2,295
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 78
- Black or African American2.9% · 74
- Two or more races2.8% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Inglis
Inglis 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
#11,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,649
+77 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 533 places
2020
#11,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,556
-93 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,282 | 2,572 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,815 | 2,649 | 0.90 | +77 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 533 places |
| 2020 | #11,730 | 2,556 | 0.86 | -93 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 85 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 Inglis 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 | #11,815 | #11,730 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,649 | 2,556 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.86 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Inglis bearers went from 2,649 to 2,556 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,815 to #11,730.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Inglis
FAQ
Inglis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Inglis?
Name Census estimates that about 2,931 living Americans carry the surname Inglis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,941 residents.
How common is Inglis?
Inglis ranks #11,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,556 people with the surname Inglis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Inglis.
Has Inglis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Inglis went from 2,649 recorded bearers to 2,556. That is a decrease of 93 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,815 to #11,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Inglis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Inglis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Inglis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Inglis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (3.1%), Black (2.9%). 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 Inglis (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 Inglis mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "English" or "of the 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 Inglis (0.86 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 surname Inglis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.