2000
#4,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,645
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Ivory
A surname referring to a person with a fair or pale complexion or someone who worked with ivory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,013 Americans carry the last name Ivory. That puts it at #4,894 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ivory 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 Ivory with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,775
Census rank
#4,894
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,988 bearers of the surname Ivory in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4894th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivory, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.3%. The next largest groups are White (21.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ivory
The surname Ivory is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ifer," meaning ivory or elephant tusk, indicating a connection to the trade or craft involving these materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Iverius" and "Ivert." This suggests that variations of the name were present in England during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled as "Ivori." This spelling closely resembles the modern form of the surname.
The name Ivory was also associated with certain place names in England, such as Ivry in Buckinghamshire and Ivry in Normandy, France. These locations may have influenced the surname's development and spread.
Notable individuals with the surname Ivory throughout history include:
1. James Ivory (born 1928), an American film director and producer known for his work in the Merchant Ivory Productions, including films like "A Room with a View" and "Howards End."
2. Thomas Ivory (1765-1834), an English mathematician and writer on the subject of elliptic integrals and the theory of attractions.
3. William Ivory (1819-1889), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1868 to 1880.
4. John Ivory (1779-1859), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on biblical subjects and theology.
5. Andrew Ivory (born 1932), a Scottish professional golfer who won the British Masters in 1966 and played on the European Tour.
The surname Ivory has a rich history dating back to the medieval era, with connections to the trade and craft of ivory materials, as well as associations with various place names in England and Normandy. Its presence in historical records and the lives of notable individuals demonstrate its enduring legacy over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ivory
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivory, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.3%. The next largest groups are White (21.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ivory 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 Ivory surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.3% · 4,846
- White21.4% · 1,498
- Two or more races5.6% · 394
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 191
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ivory
Ivory 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
#4,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,201
+556 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#4,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,988
-213 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,846 | 6,645 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,893 | 7,201 | 2.44 | +556 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #4,894 | 6,988 | 2.34 | -213 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1 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 Ivory 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 | #4,893 | #4,894 | -0.0% |
| Count | 7,201 | 6,988 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.44 | 2.34 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ivory bearers went from 7,201 to 6,988 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,893 to #4,894.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ivory
FAQ
Ivory surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ivory?
Name Census estimates that about 8,013 living Americans carry the surname Ivory. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,775 residents.
How common is Ivory?
Ivory ranks #4,894 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,988 people with the surname Ivory. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ivory.
Has Ivory become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ivory went from 7,201 recorded bearers to 6,988. That is a decrease of 213 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,893 to #4,894.
What does the Census say about the background of Ivory?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivory, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.3%. The next largest groups are White (21.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ivory in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (4,846 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ivory appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (69.3%), White (21.4%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Ivory (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 Ivory mean?
A surname referring to a person with a fair or pale complexion or someone who worked with ivory. 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 Ivory (2.34 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 Ivory?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Ivory is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.