2000
#5,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,448
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Oliphant
An English surname derived from the Old French word "olifant," meaning "elephant" or "ivory horn."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,322 Americans carry the last name Oliphant. That puts it at #6,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oliphant 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 Oliphant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,216
Census rank
#6,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,513 bearers of the surname Oliphant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliphant, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oliphant
The surname Oliphant has its origins in Scotland, derived from the Old French word "oliphant," which referred to an elephant or an elephant's tusk used as a hunting horn. The name can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was first recorded in the region of Fife, Scotland.
One of the earliest known references to the name Oliphant can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of homages sworn to King Edward I of England. In this document, several individuals with the surname Oliphant are listed, indicating their presence in Scotland during that time period.
The Oliphant family was prominent in Scottish history, with members holding important positions and lands. One notable figure was Sir Walter Oliphant (c. 1312-1381), a Scottish knight who served as Lord High Admiral of Scotland and fought in the Battle of Neville's Cross during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
Another significant individual was Laurence Oliphant (1691-1767), a Scottish Jacobite and writer who played a role in the Jacobite risings of the 18th century. He is best known for his work "A Short Account of the Revolutionary Families," which provides insights into the lives of Jacobite families during that tumultuous period.
The name Oliphant has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Oliphant's Vennel in Fife and Oliphant's Land in Edinburgh, further reflecting the family's historical significance and connections to specific locations.
In addition to Scotland, the surname Oliphant has been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the spread of the Scottish diaspora. One example is Margaret Oliphant (1828-1897), a Scottish novelist and historical writer who was highly regarded during the Victorian era.
Throughout history, the surname Oliphant has been borne by numerous individuals, including Sir William Oliphant (1756-1828), a British politician and diplomat, and Laurence Oliphant (1829-1888), a British writer, traveler, and mystic who was closely associated with the spiritualist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oliphant
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliphant, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Oliphant 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 Oliphant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.4% · 3,718
- Black or African American25.8% · 1,424
- Two or more races3.2% · 178
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oliphant
Oliphant 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
#5,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,808
+360 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 118 places
2020
#6,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,513
-295 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,813 | 5,448 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,931 | 5,808 | 1.97 | +360 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 118 places |
| 2020 | #6,008 | 5,513 | 1.84 | -295 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 77 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 Oliphant 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 | #5,931 | #6,008 | -1.3% |
| Count | 5,808 | 5,513 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.84 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oliphant bearers went from 5,808 to 5,513 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,931 to #6,008.
FAQ
Oliphant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oliphant?
Name Census estimates that about 6,322 living Americans carry the surname Oliphant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,216 residents.
How common is Oliphant?
Oliphant ranks #6,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,513 people with the surname Oliphant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Oliphant.
Has Oliphant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oliphant went from 5,808 recorded bearers to 5,513. That is a decrease of 295 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,931 to #6,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Oliphant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliphant, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Oliphant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (3,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oliphant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.4%), Black (25.8%), Two or More Races (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 Oliphant (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 Oliphant mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "olifant," meaning "elephant" or "ivory horn." 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 Oliphant (1.84 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 common is the surname Oliphant?
See how many people have the last name Oliphant on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.