2000
#231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117,939
First available Census row
Per 100,000 43.72
Common Last name
Morrison
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Morris, meaning "son of Morris" or "descendant of Morris."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132,500 Americans carry the last name Morrison. That puts it at #262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 38.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morrison 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 Morrison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133K
1 in 2,587
Census rank
#262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
38.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115,546 bearers of the surname Morrison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 38.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morrison, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morrison
The surname Morrison has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "mòr" meaning "great" and "rìs" meaning "hill" or "rising ground." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived on or near a large hill or elevated land.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Morrison surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a series of historical documents from the late 13th century that recorded the names of Scottish landowners and noblemen who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Morison" in these rolls.
In the 15th century, the Morrison surname began to appear more frequently in various Scottish records, including charters and other legal documents. For example, a man named John Morison is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1456.
The Morrison surname has been associated with several notable historical figures over the centuries. One of the earliest was Sir Richard Morrison, a Scottish soldier and diplomat who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1557). He served as the ambassador of King James V of Scotland to the court of King Henry VIII of England.
Another prominent Morrison was Robert Morrison (1782-1834), a Scottish Protestant missionary who was the first to translate the Bible into Chinese. He is considered a pioneering figure in the spread of Christianity in China.
In the field of literature, Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was an acclaimed American novelist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. She is best known for her novels exploring the African American experience, such as "Beloved" and "The Bluest Eye."
Jim Morrison (1943-1971) was the lead singer and lyricist of the iconic rock band The Doors. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and controversial frontmen in rock music history.
Samuel Eliot Morrison (1887-1976) was an American historian and author who wrote extensively about maritime history and the naval aspects of World War II. He received a Pulitzer Prize and a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morrison
Among Census respondents with the surname Morrison, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Morrison 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 Morrison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.8% · 87,594
- Black or African American14.7% · 16,994
- Two or more races4.2% · 4,806
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,159
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1,105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 888
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morrison
Morrison 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
#250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121,130
+3,191 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 41.06
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,546
-5,584 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 38.66
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #231 | 117,939 | 43.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #250 | 121,130 | 41.06 | +3,191 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #262 | 115,546 | 38.66 | -5,584 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 12 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 Morrison 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 | #250 | #262 | -4.8% |
| Count | 121,130 | 115,546 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 41.06 | 38.66 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morrison bearers went from 121,130 to 115,546 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #250 to #262.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morrison
FAQ
Morrison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morrison?
Name Census estimates that about 132,500 living Americans carry the surname Morrison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,587 residents.
How common is Morrison?
Morrison ranks #262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 38.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 39 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115,546 people with the surname Morrison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 38.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 38.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 39 of them to have the surname Morrison.
Has Morrison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morrison went from 121,130 recorded bearers to 115,546. That is a decrease of 5,584 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #250 to #262.
What does the Census say about the background of Morrison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morrison, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Morrison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.8% (87,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morrison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.8%), Black (14.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Morrison (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 Morrison mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Morris, meaning "son of Morris" or "descendant of Morris." 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 Morrison (38.66 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 are called Morrison?
Want to know how many people are called Morrison? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.