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

Inkster, 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 Inkster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Inkster in America

Inkster is the 93513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Inkster surname appeared 196 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 Inkster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Inkster 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 Inkster

The surname Inkster has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from a Scottish place name, referring to a person living near a small body of water or an inlet, possibly from the Scots word "inker" meaning a small inlet or creek.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Inkster, who was recorded as a burgess of Aberdeen in 1487. Another early reference is to David Inkster, who was mentioned in the records of the Diocese of Aberdeen in 1511.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, where a Robert Inkster was mentioned in 1593. The surname was also found in the parish records of Aberdeenshire, with several Inkster families recorded in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

One notable bearer of the name was Alexander Inkster, a Scottish merchant and shipowner who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Scotland and the Baltic region, and his name appears in numerous shipping records from that time.

In the 19th century, the Inkster surname spread beyond Scotland as some family members emigrated to other parts of the British Empire. For example, James Inkster (1799-1872) was a Scottish-born settler in Upper Canada (now Ontario), where he established a successful milling business.

Another notable figure was William Inkster (1844-1919), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He was born in Orkney, Scotland, but later moved to Winnipeg, where he became a prominent figure in the community.

The name Inkster has also been associated with several places, such as Inkster, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit named after the Inkster family who were early settlers in the area. Additionally, there is an Inkster, North Dakota, which was likely named after a resident with the Inkster surname.

Overall, the surname Inkster has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 15th century. While originally concentrated in Aberdeenshire, the name eventually spread to other parts of the world through emigration and settlement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Inkster

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

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 Inkster 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 Inkster 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 Inkster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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