2000
#10,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,796
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Porch
An occupational surname for someone who worked as a porter or doorkeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,980 Americans carry the last name Porch. That puts it at #11,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Porch 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 Porch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,018
Census rank
#11,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,599 bearers of the surname Porch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Porch, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Porch
The surname Porch originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'porc', meaning a small enclosed area or enclosure, often referring to a small farmyard. The name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked in such an enclosed space.
Records show the name appearing in various forms, such as Porche, Pورche, and Pourche, in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mentions a Robert de la Porche.
The name Porch is not found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, suggesting it emerged after the Norman Conquest. However, it is possible that earlier variations of the name existed but were not recorded or have been lost over time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Porch was Sir John Porch (c. 1520-1594), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1590. Another was Richard Porch (1668-1743), a British writer and clergyman who authored several works on theology and philosophy.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is William Porch, who was born in Virginia in 1635. Another early American with the surname was Thomas Porch (1676-1743), a Quaker preacher and author from Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the surname Porch include John Porch (1783-1856), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Kathleen Porch (1919-2006), an American author and illustrator of children's books.
Overall, the surname Porch has a long history in England, with its origins likely dating back to the Middle Ages and reflecting the occupation or location of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Porch
Among Census respondents with the surname Porch, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Porch 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 Porch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.4% · 1,570
- Black or African American30.2% · 786
- Two or more races4.9% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Porch
Porch 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
#10,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,936
+140 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#11,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
-337 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,527 | 2,796 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,847 | 2,936 | 1.00 | +140 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #11,570 | 2,599 | 0.87 | -337 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 723 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 Porch 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 | #10,847 | #11,570 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,936 | 2,599 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.87 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Porch bearers went from 2,936 to 2,599 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 723 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,847 to #11,570.
FAQ
Porch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Porch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,980 living Americans carry the surname Porch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,018 residents.
How common is Porch?
Porch ranks #11,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,599 people with the surname Porch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Porch.
Has Porch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Porch went from 2,936 recorded bearers to 2,599. That is a decrease of 337 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,847 to #11,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Porch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Porch, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Porch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.4% (1,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Porch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.4%), Black (30.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Porch (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 Porch mean?
An occupational surname for someone who worked as a porter or doorkeeper. 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 Porch (0.87 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 have the surname Porch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.