2000
#18,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Mustard
A surname derived from the spicy yellow condiment made from mustard seeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,591 Americans carry the last name Mustard. That puts it at #19,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 215,433 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mustard 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 Mustard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 215,433
Census rank
#19,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,387 bearers of the surname Mustard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mustard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mustard
The surname Mustard is an English surname that originated as an occupational name for a mustard maker or seller. It is derived from the Old French word "mustarde," which comes from the Latin words "mustum" (must, or young unfermented wine) and "ardens" (hot or burning). This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who made or sold a spicy condiment made with must.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Mustard dates back to the 13th century in Cambridgeshire, England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Mustard, who is mentioned in tax records from 1273 in Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire.
In the 14th century, the surname Mustard appeared in various records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which listed a John Mustard. The Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1349 also mentioned a William Mustard.
The Mustard surname can be traced back to several place names in England, such as Mustard Green in Cambridgeshire and Mustard Pot in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the occupational name, indicating areas where mustard makers or sellers lived and worked.
One notable historical figure with the surname Mustard was Richard Mustard (c. 1530-1611), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1592. Another was William Mustard (c. 1595-1679), an English clergyman who became the Bishop of Peterborough in 1667.
Other notable individuals with the surname Mustard include:
- Thomas Mustard (1733-1815), an English architect and surveyor responsible for designing several buildings in London.
- William Mustard (1811-1900), a Scottish-born Canadian merchant and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
- David Mustard (1842-1916), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Victoria.
- Leonard Mustard (1888-1957), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire and Oxford University.
The Mustard surname has been present in various parts of England for centuries and has a rich history rooted in the occupational trade of making and selling mustard. While the name has evolved over time, it continues to carry the legacy of its occupational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mustard
Among Census respondents with the surname Mustard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mustard 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 Mustard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,290
- Two or more races3.1% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mustard
Mustard 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
#19,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,427
+7 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 974 places
2020
#19,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,387
-40 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 420 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,101 | 1,420 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,075 | 1,427 | 0.48 | +7 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 974 places |
| 2020 | #19,495 | 1,387 | 0.46 | -40 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 420 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 Mustard 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 | #19,075 | #19,495 | -2.2% |
| Count | 1,427 | 1,387 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.46 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mustard bearers went from 1,427 to 1,387 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 420 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,075 to #19,495.
FAQ
Mustard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mustard?
Name Census estimates that about 1,591 living Americans carry the surname Mustard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 215,433 residents.
How common is Mustard?
Mustard ranks #19,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,387 people with the surname Mustard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mustard.
Has Mustard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mustard went from 1,427 recorded bearers to 1,387. That is a decrease of 40 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,075 to #19,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Mustard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mustard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Mustard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mustard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Mustard (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 Mustard mean?
A surname derived from the spicy yellow condiment made from mustard seeds. 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 Mustard (0.46 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 share the surname Mustard?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.