2000
#766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.19
Uncommon Last name
Livingston
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Livingston, derived from the Old English "Leving" and "tun."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,563 Americans carry the last name Livingston. That puts it at #833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Livingston 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 Livingston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,361
Census rank
#833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,605 bearers of the surname Livingston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Livingston, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Livingston
The surname Livingston has its origins in Scotland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the lands of Livingston near Bathgate in West Lothian. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "leofing" meaning "dear one" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "enclosure."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Livingston can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of parchment rolls recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Lefyngeston" in these rolls.
In the 14th century, Sir Robert Livingston was granted the lands of Livingston by King Robert the Bruce. This early member of the Livingston family played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Sir Alexander Livingston, born around 1454, was another notable figure from this lineage and served as the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland.
The Livingston family continued to hold influence and prominence throughout Scottish history. James Livingston, born in 1561, was a Scottish nobleman and statesman who served as the Lord Chancellor of Scotland during the reign of King James VI. William Livingston, born in 1723, was a prominent American politician and jurist, serving as the first Governor of New Jersey after the American Revolutionary War.
Another famous bearer of the Livingston name was Edward Livingston, born in 1764, who was an American jurist and statesman. He served as the United States Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson and played a crucial role in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code.
Robert R. Livingston, born in 1746, was an American diplomat and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence and later served as the first United States Minister to France.
Over the centuries, the Livingston name has also been associated with various place names, such as Livingston County in New York and Livingston Parish in Louisiana, reflecting the influence and legacy of this prominent family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Livingston
Among Census respondents with the surname Livingston, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Livingston 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 Livingston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 28,247
- Black or African American19.8% · 8,027
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,804
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,464
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 759
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 304
Timeline
Historical Census data for Livingston
Livingston 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
#821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,103
+1,139 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 14.27
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,605
-1,498 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 13.58
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #766 | 40,964 | 15.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #821 | 42,103 | 14.27 | +1,139 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #833 | 40,605 | 13.58 | -1,498 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 12 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 Livingston 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 | #821 | #833 | -1.5% |
| Count | 42,103 | 40,605 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 14.27 | 13.58 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Livingston bearers went from 42,103 to 40,605 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #821 to #833.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Livingston
FAQ
Livingston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Livingston?
Name Census estimates that about 46,563 living Americans carry the surname Livingston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,361 residents.
How common is Livingston?
Livingston ranks #833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,605 people with the surname Livingston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,563), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Livingston.
Has Livingston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Livingston went from 42,103 recorded bearers to 40,605. That is a decrease of 1,498 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #821 to #833.
What does the Census say about the background of Livingston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Livingston, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Livingston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (28,247 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Livingston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.6%), Black (19.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Livingston (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 Livingston mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Livingston, derived from the Old English "Leving" and "tun." 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 Livingston (13.58 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 Livingston?
You can see how many people have the surname Livingston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.