2000
#13,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,989
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Newbury
From the English place name, referring to a new fortified town or manor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,176 Americans carry the last name Newbury. That puts it at #14,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,516 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newbury 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 Newbury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,516
Census rank
#14,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,898 bearers of the surname Newbury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newbury
The surname Newbury originated in England and has its roots in the Old English words "neowe" and "byrig," which together mean "new town" or "new borough." It is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England.
The town of Newbury itself dates back to the 11th century and was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Neuberie." This suggests that the surname Newbury likely emerged around this time or shortly thereafter, as it became common practice for people to adopt surnames based on the places they lived or originated from.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Newbury can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1197, where a William de Neubury is mentioned. This entry indicates that the name had evolved from its original Old English form by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records with spellings such as Neubury, Newbery, and Newberie, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that era.
Notable individuals with the surname Newbury include John Newbury, a 16th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1572. Another prominent figure was Walter Newbury, a 17th-century English clergyman and author, born in 1616 and known for his religious writings.
William Newbury, born in 1637, was a wealthy merchant and landowner in Boston, Massachusetts, during the colonial era. He played a significant role in the early development of the city and left a lasting legacy through his philanthropic endeavors.
In the 19th century, Thomas Newbury (1825-1891) was a distinguished English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum) in London.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Francis Newbury (1881-1958), a British Army officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newbury
Among Census respondents with the surname Newbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Newbury 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 Newbury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,725
- Two or more races3.9% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 60
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newbury
Newbury 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
#14,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,997
+8 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 921 places
2020
#14,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,898
-99 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,917 | 1,989 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,838 | 1,997 | 0.68 | +8 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 921 places |
| 2020 | #14,954 | 1,898 | 0.63 | -99 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 116 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 Newbury 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 | #14,838 | #14,954 | -0.8% |
| Count | 1,997 | 1,898 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.63 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newbury bearers went from 1,997 to 1,898 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,838 to #14,954.
FAQ
Newbury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newbury?
Name Census estimates that about 2,176 living Americans carry the surname Newbury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,516 residents.
How common is Newbury?
Newbury ranks #14,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,898 people with the surname Newbury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Newbury.
Has Newbury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newbury went from 1,997 recorded bearers to 1,898. That is a decrease of 99 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,838 to #14,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Newbury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Newbury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,725 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newbury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Newbury (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 Newbury mean?
From the English place name, referring to a new fortified town or manor. 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 Newbury (0.63 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 Newbury?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.