2000
#10,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Minnis
Derived from a place name meaning "at the moor," likely referring to someone who lived near a moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,159 Americans carry the last name Minnis. That puts it at #11,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minnis 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 Minnis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,501
Census rank
#11,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,755 bearers of the surname Minnis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minnis
The surname MINNIS has its roots in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "mynydd," which means "hill" or "mountain." The name was initially used to denote someone who lived near a hill or in a hilly region.
The earliest records of the name MINNIS can be traced back to the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire. Historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries mention individuals with similar spellings, such as "Mynnis" and "Myneys."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of documents containing the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is that of John de Mynnis, who held lands in Berwickshire in the year 1296.
The MINNIS surname is also found in various medieval charters and other legal documents from the Scottish Borders region. For instance, in 1450, a charter granted lands in Roxburghshire to a certain William Mynnis.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MINNIS surname was Robert Minnis, born around 1510 in Berwickshire, Scotland. He was a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.
In the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Scotland, including Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. One notable figure was James Minnis, a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who lived from 1560 to 1632.
During the 17th century, the MINNIS surname gained prominence in the Scottish Lowlands. John Minnis, born in 1620 in Roxburghshire, was a respected minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1682.
Another notable individual was Sir George Minnis, born in 1655 in Berwickshire. He was a successful businessman and landowner who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1709 to 1711.
In the 18th century, the MINNIS surname spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One notable figure was William Minnis, born in 1710 in Edinburgh, who became a successful merchant and immigrant to the American colonies, settling in Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minnis
Among Census respondents with the surname Minnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Minnis 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 Minnis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 1,583
- Black or African American32.1% · 884
- Two or more races5.4% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minnis
Minnis 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
#10,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,216
+262 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 41 places
2020
#11,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
-461 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,062 | 2,954 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,021 | 3,216 | 1.09 | +262 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 41 places |
| 2020 | #11,027 | 2,755 | 0.92 | -461 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 1,006 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 Minnis 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 | #10,021 | #11,027 | -10.0% |
| Count | 3,216 | 2,755 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.92 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minnis bearers went from 3,216 to 2,755 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,021 to #11,027.
FAQ
Minnis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minnis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,159 living Americans carry the surname Minnis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,501 residents.
How common is Minnis?
Minnis ranks #11,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,755 people with the surname Minnis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Minnis.
Has Minnis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minnis went from 3,216 recorded bearers to 2,755. That is a decrease of 461 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,021 to #11,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Minnis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Minnis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (1,583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minnis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.5%), Black (32.1%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Minnis (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 Minnis mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the moor," likely referring to someone who lived near a moor. 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 Minnis (0.92 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 Minnis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.