2000
#14,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Longstreet
Derived from a place name referring to a long road, street, or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,109 Americans carry the last name Longstreet. That puts it at #15,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,520 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Longstreet 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
2.1K
1 in 162,520
Census rank
#15,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,839 bearers of the surname Longstreet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Longstreet, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Longstreet
The surname Longstreet is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "long" and "straet," which together mean "long street" or "long road." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, when many surnames were derived from physical features or locations associated with a person's place of residence or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Longstreet surname dates back to the 13th century in Norfolk, England, where it was spelled as "Longstrete." This variation suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived along a particularly long street or road.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname appeared in various records and manuscripts across England, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. It was often spelled differently, such as "Longstrate," "Longstrat," or "Longstreyt," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in that era.
One notable historical figure with the Longstreet surname was Sir James Longstreet (1821-1904), a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He served under General Robert E. Lee and played a crucial role in several major battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
Another noteworthy individual was Augustus Baldwin Longstreet (1790-1870), an American teacher, minister, and humorist. He was known for his satirical works, including the book "Georgia Scenes," which provided a humorous portrayal of life in the southern United States during the early 19th century.
In the realm of literature, John Longstreet (1920-1993) was an American writer and illustrator, best known for his children's books, such as "The Jolly Barnyard" and "The Jolly Woodchuck."
The Longstreet surname can also be found in various place names throughout England, such as Longstreet in Somerset and Longstreet Manor in Hampshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further emphasizing its connection to long streets or roads.
It is worth noting that while the Longstreet surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Longstreet
Among Census respondents with the surname Longstreet, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Longstreet 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 Longstreet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.2% · 1,217
- Black or African American24.9% · 457
- Two or more races3.3% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Longstreet
Longstreet 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
#15,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,942
+95 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#15,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,839
-103 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,745 | 1,847 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,171 | 1,942 | 0.66 | +95 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #15,363 | 1,839 | 0.62 | -103 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 192 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 Longstreet 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 | #15,171 | #15,363 | -1.3% |
| Count | 1,942 | 1,839 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Longstreet bearers went from 1,942 to 1,839 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,171 to #15,363.
FAQ
Longstreet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Longstreet?
Name Census estimates that about 2,109 living Americans carry the surname Longstreet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,520 residents.
How common is Longstreet?
Longstreet ranks #15,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,839 people with the surname Longstreet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Longstreet.
Has Longstreet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Longstreet went from 1,942 recorded bearers to 1,839. That is a decrease of 103 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,171 to #15,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Longstreet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Longstreet, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Longstreet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (1,217 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Longstreet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.2%), Black (24.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Longstreet (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 Longstreet mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a long road, street, or village. 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 Longstreet (0.62 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 common is the surname Longstreet?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Longstreet at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.