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

Innes, 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 Innes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Innes in America

Innes is the 10993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Innes surname appeared 2,893 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Innes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Innes 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 Innes

The surname Innes has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the lands of Innes in Moray, northeast Scotland. The earliest record of this name dates back to the reign of King William the Lion (1165-1214), when the lands were granted to Berowald, a Flemish settler, who then took the surname Innes.

The name Innes is believed to come from the Gaelic word "innis," meaning a meadow or pasture land. The lands of Innes were located near the River Spey, known for its fertile pastures and meadows, lending credence to this theory. Variations in spelling over the centuries included Innes, Innys, Eneys, and Enneys.

In the 13th century, Sir Walter Innes, the son of Berowald, was a prominent figure and witnessed several royal charters during the reign of King Alexander II (1214-1249). The Innes family continued to hold significant influence in the region for centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Innes can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which mention John de Innes in 1264. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Innes, who served as the ambassador of King Robert II (1316-1390) to England in the late 14th century.

During the 16th century, Sir Robert Innes (1492-1551) was a prominent member of the family, serving as the Lord of Innes and holding the position of Sheriff of Banff. He played an important role in the conflicts between the Scottish Crown and the powerful Douglas family.

In the 17th century, Sir Robert Innes (1600-1655) was a Scottish writer and scholar who authored several works on theology and history. He was also a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

Another notable figure was Sir John Innes (1677-1748), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the Banff Burghs constituency in the early 18th century.

Throughout its history, the Innes surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including Lewis Innes (1651-1738), a Scottish Catholic priest and historian; Cosmo Innes (1798-1874), a Scottish antiquarian and historian; and Thomas Innes of Learney (1676-1744), a Scottish Jacobite and Member of Parliament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Innes

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

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

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

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