2000
#6,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Manchester
Referring to someone from the English city of Manchester or an ancestor who hailed from that city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,595 Americans carry the last name Manchester. That puts it at #6,649 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manchester 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 Manchester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,261
Census rank
#6,649
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,879 bearers of the surname Manchester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6649th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manchester, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manchester
The surname MANCHESTER originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name derives from the city of Manchester, which was originally known as "Mamucium" during the Roman occupation. This name evolved over time, with variations such as "Mameceaster" and "Manchenister" appearing in historical records.
The name MANCHESTER is closely tied to the city's history and development. Manchester played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution, becoming a hub for textile manufacturing and innovation. As the city grew in importance, the surname became more widespread, with families adopting it as a way to identify their connection to the area.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MANCHESTER was John de Mancestre, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1259. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Grelle, Lord of Manchester, who lived in the 14th century and held significant influence in the region.
The MANCHESTER name gained further prominence during the Tudor period, with Sir Edward Manchester (c. 1496-1567) serving as a Member of Parliament and holding the position of Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester (1602-1671), played a crucial role in the English Civil War, leading Parliamentary forces against King Charles I. His military exploits and political influence solidified the MANCHESTER name's association with power and prestige.
Another notable figure was Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester (1634-1683), who served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under King Charles II and was a prominent member of the English aristocracy.
During the 18th century, the MANCHESTER surname continued to be associated with influential individuals, including William Draper, Lord Viscount of MANCHESTER (1716-1789), a military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Antigua.
As the Industrial Revolution transformed Manchester into a global manufacturing center, the surname became more widely disseminated, with families from various backgrounds adopting it to reflect their connection to the city's economic and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manchester
Among Census respondents with the surname Manchester, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Manchester 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 Manchester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 4,293
- Two or more races3.8% · 183
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 170
- Black or African American3.4% · 164
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manchester
Manchester 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
#6,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,182
+104 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 333 places
2020
#6,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,879
-303 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,205 | 5,078 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,538 | 5,182 | 1.76 | +104 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 333 places |
| 2020 | #6,649 | 4,879 | 1.63 | -303 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 111 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 Manchester 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 | #6,538 | #6,649 | -1.7% |
| Count | 5,182 | 4,879 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.63 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manchester bearers went from 5,182 to 4,879 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,538 to #6,649.
FAQ
Manchester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manchester?
Name Census estimates that about 5,595 living Americans carry the surname Manchester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,261 residents.
How common is Manchester?
Manchester ranks #6,649 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 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 4,879 people with the surname Manchester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 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 Manchester.
Has Manchester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manchester went from 5,182 recorded bearers to 4,879. That is a decrease of 303 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,538 to #6,649.
What does the Census say about the background of Manchester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manchester, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Manchester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (4,293 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manchester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Manchester (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 Manchester mean?
Referring to someone from the English city of Manchester or an ancestor who hailed from that city. 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 Manchester (1.63 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 Manchester?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.