Find out how popular the last name October is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named October.

October, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the October surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of October in America

October is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The October surname appeared 121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname October.

We can also compare 2010 data for October to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name October

The surname "OCTOBER" is of English origin, derived from the Latin word "octo" meaning "eight" and the noun "ber" meaning "crop or harvest". It likely originated as a locational name for someone who lived near a field or crop that was harvested in the eighth month of the year, which was October in the old Roman calendar.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the late 13th century in Yorkshire, England. One of the first documented bearers of the name was Robert de Octobredene, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. The "dene" suffix suggests he may have lived near a valley or wooded area associated with the month of October.

By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, appearing in various spellings such as Octobredene, Octobregge, and Octobyr. In the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1349, a John Octobyr is listed as a taxpayer.

The Octobres family of Gloucestershire can trace their lineage back to the 15th century. Notable members include Sir John Octobres (1415-1492), a landowner and member of Parliament, and his grandson, William Octobres (1472-1541), who served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was sometimes Anglicized to "October" or "Octobre". One bearer of note was the poet and playwright Thomas October (1587-1642), who wrote several works praising the reign of King James I.

In the 18th century, the Octobers of Derbyshire rose to prominence. Sir Richard October (1715-1792) was a successful merchant and philanthropist, while his son, James October (1749-1818), was a noted botanist and explorer who cataloged many new plant species in the Americas.

Other notable individuals with the surname include the Scottish philosopher and educator William October (1802-1879), the American Civil War general John October (1823-1898), and the Australian politician and women's rights activist Mary October (1865-1941).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name October

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname October.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for October was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of October has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name October was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of October, please contact us.

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