2000
#86,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Inslee
An English surname possibly derived from a place name, but of uncertain origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 257 Americans carry the last name Inslee. That puts it at #88,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,333,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Inslee 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.
Bearers in the US
257
1 in 1,333,674
Census rank
#88,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
224
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 224 bearers of the surname Inslee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 88925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Inslee, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Inslee
The surname Inslee originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "insula," meaning "island." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived on an island or near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1177, where a person named Richard de Insula is mentioned. This Latin form of the name translates to "Richard of the Island."
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various documents with slight variations in spelling, such as Insula, Insul, and Insele. These spelling variations were common during that era due to the inconsistencies in written records.
During the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century, the name Inslee was documented in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This record mentions a landowner named John de Insula, suggesting that the family may have held a prominent position in that region.
Throughout the centuries, the Inslee surname has been associated with various locations in England. For instance, there are records of families bearing this name in the counties of Lancashire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Inslee include:
1. Sir Robert Inslee (1570-1647), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Newtown, Isle of Wight, during the reign of King Charles I.
2. Thomas Inslee (1681-1744), a prominent merchant and landowner from Lancashire, who was known for his involvement in local affairs and charitable endeavors.
3. Emily Inslee (1838-1912), a British author and poet who wrote several works on nature and rural life in the late 19th century.
4. James Inslee (1892-1976), an American educator and administrator who served as the president of West Virginia University from 1947 to 1958.
5. Jay Inslee (born 1951), an American politician and the current governor of Washington state, having served in this role since 2013.
While the Inslee surname has its origins in England, it has spread to other parts of the world over time, particularly to the United States and Canada, where many descendants of the original English families have settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Inslee
Among Census respondents with the surname Inslee, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Inslee 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 Inslee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 210
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 6
- Black or African American1.3% · 3
- Two or more races1.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Inslee
Inslee 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
+18 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 998 places
2020
#88,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224
+6 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,657 | 200 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | +18 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 998 places |
| 2020 | #88,925 | 224 | 0.07 | +6 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 3,266 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 Inslee 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 | #85,659 | #88,925 | -3.8% |
| Count | 218 | 224 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Inslee bearers went from 218 to 224 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 3,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #88,925.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Inslee
FAQ
Inslee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Inslee?
Name Census estimates that about 257 living Americans carry the surname Inslee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,333,674 residents.
How common is Inslee?
Inslee ranks #88,925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 224 people with the surname Inslee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Inslee.
Has Inslee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Inslee went from 218 recorded bearers to 224. That is an increase of 6 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,659 to #88,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Inslee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Inslee, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Inslee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Inslee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), Black (1.3%). 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 Inslee (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 Inslee mean?
An English surname possibly derived from a place name, but of uncertain origin and meaning. 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 Inslee (0.07 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 share the surname Inslee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.