2000
#402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.72
Uncommon Last name
Manning
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a servant or attendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 82,345 Americans carry the last name Manning. That puts it at #448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 24.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manning 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 Manning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,162
Census rank
#448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
24.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
72K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,809 bearers of the surname Manning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 24.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manning, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manning
The surname Manning originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "mannen," which means "someone who was a servant or vassal." The name initially referred to a servant or bondsman who worked on a lord's estate or manor.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest written record of surnames in England, there are several entries of the name Manning or variations such as Manni and Manninges. These early forms suggest that the name was already established in various parts of the country by the late 11th century.
The Manning surname is closely associated with the county of Norfolk, where it was particularly prevalent during the Middle Ages. Several place names in Norfolk, such as Mannington and Manningford, are believed to have contributed to the evolution and spread of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Manning was William Manning, born circa 1270 in Norfolk. He held lands in the village of Trunch and was mentioned in various legal documents from the late 13th century.
Another notable figure was John Manning, a merchant and alderman of London, who lived between 1440 and 1516. He served as the Master of the Worshipful Company of Skinners and was a prominent figure in the city's trade and civic affairs.
In the 16th century, Thomas Manning (1532-1597) was a renowned theologian and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and later became the Bishop of Chichester.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Colonel Michael Manning (1616-1669) was a prominent military commander who fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I.
Sir William Manning (1693-1761), born in Norfolk, was a British diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1738 to 1742.
The Manning surname has been carried across the globe by English immigrants and has taken root in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It remains a prominent name in many English-speaking communities, reflecting its deep historical roots in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manning
Among Census respondents with the surname Manning, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Manning 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 Manning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 50,962
- Black or African American19.9% · 14,282
- Two or more races4.3% · 3,056
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,435
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 547
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 527
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manning
Manning 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
#434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,949
+2,880 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 25.41
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,809
-3,140 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 24.02
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #402 | 72,069 | 26.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #434 | 74,949 | 25.41 | +2,880 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #448 | 71,809 | 24.02 | -3,140 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 14 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 Manning 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 | #434 | #448 | -3.2% |
| Count | 74,949 | 71,809 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 25.41 | 24.02 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manning bearers went from 74,949 to 71,809 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #434 to #448.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Manning
FAQ
Manning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manning?
Name Census estimates that about 82,345 living Americans carry the surname Manning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,162 residents.
How common is Manning?
Manning ranks #448 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 24.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,809 people with the surname Manning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (82,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 24.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 24.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Manning.
Has Manning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manning went from 74,949 recorded bearers to 71,809. That is a decrease of 3,140 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #434 to #448.
What does the Census say about the background of Manning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manning, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Manning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (50,962 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Manning (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 Manning mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a servant or attendant. 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 Manning (24.02 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 surname Manning?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.