Find out how popular the last name Members is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Members.

Members, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Members surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Members in America

Members is the 123796th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Members surname appeared 139 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Members.

We can also compare 2010 data for Members to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Members

The surname MEMBERS is believed to have originated in England, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "membir," which referred to a part or limb of the body, or the Old French word "membrere," meaning member or belonging to a group.

In medieval times, surnames were often derived from occupations or physical characteristics, and MEMBERS may have been used to denote someone who belonged to a particular group, such as a guild or religious order. Alternatively, it could have been a descriptive name given to someone with a distinctive physical feature or a disability involving a limb or body part.

One of the earliest known records of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1198, where a William Membre is listed. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English government, indicating that the name was in use at least by the late 12th century.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1205, which record a case involving a Richard le Membre from Lincolnshire. The use of the prefix "le" in this instance suggests that the name was originally a descriptive nickname rather than a hereditary surname.

In the 13th century, a John Membre is recorded as a landowner in the village of Wellow, Somerset, in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. This document was a survey of landholdings and inhabitants conducted during the reign of King Edward I.

One notable historical figure with the surname MEMBERS was Sir Thomas Membres (c. 1550-1625), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Salisbury during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.

Another individual of note was John Membres (1653-1720), a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Woodmancote in Sussex and wrote several religious works.

In the 18th century, Edward Membres (1720-1792) was a respected English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Peter in Wolverhampton.

Moving into the 19th century, William Membres (1835-1904) was a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and wrote several books about his experiences and discoveries.

Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the surname MEMBERS was Sir Harold Membres (1875-1962), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1928 to 1935.

While the surname MEMBERS has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, likely through emigration and the dispersal of family lines over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Members

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Members.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Members was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Members has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Members was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Members, please contact us.

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