2000
#10,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Innes
A Scottish locational surname derived from the barony of Innes in Moray, likely meaning "isthmus" or "headland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,924 Americans carry the last name Innes. That puts it at #11,750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Innes 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 Innes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,221
Census rank
#11,750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,550 bearers of the surname Innes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Innes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Innes
Among Census respondents with the surname Innes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Innes 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 Innes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,287
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 99
- Two or more races3.1% · 80
- Black or African American1.8% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Innes
Innes 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
#10,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,893
+158 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#11,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,550
-343 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 757 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,714 | 2,735 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,993 | 2,893 | 0.98 | +158 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #11,750 | 2,550 | 0.85 | -343 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 757 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 Innes 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 | #10,993 | #11,750 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,893 | 2,550 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.85 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Innes bearers went from 2,893 to 2,550 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 757 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,993 to #11,750.
FAQ
Innes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Innes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,924 living Americans carry the surname Innes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,221 residents.
How common is Innes?
Innes ranks #11,750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,550 people with the surname Innes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Innes.
Has Innes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Innes went from 2,893 recorded bearers to 2,550. That is a decrease of 343 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,993 to #11,750.
What does the Census say about the background of Innes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Innes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Innes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Innes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Innes (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 Innes mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from the barony of Innes in Moray, likely meaning "isthmus" or "headland." 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 Innes (0.85 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 Innes?
You can see how common the surname Innes is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.