2000
#1,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.09
Uncommon Last name
Person
An English surname derived from the Latin word "persona," referring to an individual's character, role, or appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 80,470 Americans carry the last name Person. That puts it at #463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Person 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 Person with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
80K
1 in 4,259
Census rank
#463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
70K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 70,174 bearers of the surname Person in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Person, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.1%) and Hispanic (18.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Person
The surname "PERSON" is believed to have originated in medieval England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "peor" and "suna," meaning "pear tree" and "son," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a pear tree.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus Persone is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Persone," was commonly used in the Middle Ages and is believed to be the precursor to the modern form, "PERSON."
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of England. In the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1212, a certain Robertus Person is mentioned, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262 contains a reference to a Radulfus Persun.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not directly mention the surname "PERSON." However, it does include references to place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Persehale" in Staffordshire and "Persore" in Worcestershire.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname "PERSON." One of the earliest recorded was John Person (c. 1350 - 1428), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Norfolk. Another prominent figure was Thomas Person (1508 - 1558), a Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.
In the 17th century, Edward Person (1615 - 1686) was a renowned English Puritan minister and author, known for his sermons and theological writings. Later, in the 18th century, Robert Person (1733 - 1808) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Marylebone in London.
One of the most famous bearers of the surname was the American writer and activist Nathaniel Person (1819 - 1886), who is best known for his influential work "The Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" and his advocacy for abolition and civil rights.
Throughout history, the surname "PERSON" has seen various spelling variations, such as "Peirson," "Pearson," and "Pierson," reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolutions over time. Despite these variations, the name has maintained a strong presence across different parts of the English-speaking world, leaving a lasting legacy in numerous historical records and notable individuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Person
Among Census respondents with the surname Person, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.1%) and Hispanic (18.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Person 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 Person surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.6% · 31,989
- Black or African American28.1% · 19,746
- Hispanic or Latino18.6% · 13,079
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 2,620
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,807
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 933
Timeline
Historical Census data for Person
Person 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
#496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,411
+48,282 bearers (+252.4%)
Per 100,000 22.85
Rank movement Up 1,223 places
2020
#463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,174
+2,763 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 23.48
Rank movement Up 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,719 | 19,129 | 7.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #496 | 67,411 | 22.85 | +48,282 bearers (+252.4%) | Up 1,223 places |
| 2020 | #463 | 70,174 | 23.48 | +2,763 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 33 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 Person 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 | #496 | #463 | 6.7% |
| Count | 67,411 | 70,174 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 22.85 | 23.48 | 2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Person bearers went from 67,411 to 70,174 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #496 to #463.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Person
FAQ
Person surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Person?
Name Census estimates that about 80,470 living Americans carry the surname Person. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,259 residents.
How common is Person?
Person ranks #463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 70,174 people with the surname Person. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (80,470), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Person.
Has Person become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Person went from 67,411 recorded bearers to 70,174. That is an increase of 2,763 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #496 to #463.
What does the Census say about the background of Person?
Among Census respondents with the surname Person, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.1%) and Hispanic (18.6%). 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 Person in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.6% (31,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Person appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.6%), Black (28.1%), Hispanic (18.6%). 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 Person (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 Person mean?
An English surname derived from the Latin word "persona," referring to an individual's character, role, or appearance. 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 Person (23.48 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 Person?
You can see how many people have the last name Person on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.