2000
#8,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Mines
An occupational surname referring to a miner or someone who worked in mines.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,937 Americans carry the last name Mines. That puts it at #11,704 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,702 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mines 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 Mines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,702
Census rank
#11,704
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,561 bearers of the surname Mines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11704th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mines, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mines
The surname "Mines" is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from various place names in England containing the Old English word "mine," which referred to a mine or pit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mention a person named Geoffrey de la Myne. This suggests that the name may have initially been derived from a place name containing the word "mine," with the prefix "de la" indicating "of the."
Another early reference to the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which list a person named John atte Myne. The prefix "atte" in this case means "at the," further reinforcing the connection to a place name associated with mining.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Myne," "Myn," and "Myne." These spellings reflect the evolving nature of English orthography during that period.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname "Mines" was Thomas Mines (c. 1515-1584), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Peterborough. He played a significant role in the English Reformation under King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir Christopher Mines (c. 1590-1658), an English merchant and Member of Parliament who served as the Governor of the East India Company from 1638 to 1641.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records, including the Parish Registers of Gloucestershire, which mention a person named William Mines in 1628.
During the 18th century, the surname is found in various parts of England, with notable individuals such as John Mines (1688-1756), a clergyman and author from Berkshire, and Samuel Mines (1717-1786), a merchant and philanthropist from London.
In the 19th century, the name continues to be found in various regions of England, with individuals like William Mines (1793-1856), a civil engineer from Gloucestershire, and Mary Ann Mines (1826-1905), a philanthropist and social reformer from Yorkshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mines
Among Census respondents with the surname Mines, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mines 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 Mines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.8% · 1,224
- Black or African American43.7% · 1,119
- Two or more races4.5% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mines
Mines 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
#10,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,193
-152 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 1,106 places
2020
#11,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,561
-632 bearers (-19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 1,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,986 | 3,345 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,092 | 3,193 | 1.08 | -152 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 1,106 places |
| 2020 | #11,704 | 2,561 | 0.86 | -632 bearers (-19.8%) | Down 1,612 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 Mines 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 | #10,092 | #11,704 | -16.0% |
| Count | 3,193 | 2,561 | -19.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.86 | -20.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mines bearers went from 3,193 to 2,561 (-19.8% change). The surname moved down 1,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,092 to #11,704.
FAQ
Mines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mines?
Name Census estimates that about 2,937 living Americans carry the surname Mines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,702 residents.
How common is Mines?
Mines ranks #11,704 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,561 people with the surname Mines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,937), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Mines.
Has Mines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mines went from 3,193 recorded bearers to 2,561. That is a decrease of 632 (-19.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,092 to #11,704.
What does the Census say about the background of Mines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mines, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.8% (1,224 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.8%), Black (43.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mines (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 Mines mean?
An occupational surname referring to a miner or someone who worked in mines. 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 Mines (0.86 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 Americans have the surname Mines?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.