2000
#10,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Port
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a port, harbor, or market town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,084 Americans carry the last name Port. That puts it at #11,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Port 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 Port with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,140
Census rank
#11,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,689 bearers of the surname Port in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Port, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Port
The surname Port has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "port," which referred to a harbor or a town with a harbor. This suggests that the name was likely originally borne by individuals who lived near a port or worked in a port-related occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Port can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Port is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire in 1201, which mentions a Robert del Port.
The Port surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Port Meadow in Oxfordshire and Portbury in Somerset. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Port (c. 1250-1322), a wealthy landowner and benefactor from Derbyshire. He founded a hospital and almshouses in Etwall, which are still operational today.
Another significant figure with the Port surname was Sir John Port (1516-1557), a merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1554. He was involved in establishing the Muscovy Company, which traded with Russia.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Port surname was also found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. Notable individuals from this period include William Port (c. 1590-1670), a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Springfield, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, John Port (1726-1806) was a prominent English industrialist and entrepreneur who established the Port Dundas foundry in Glasgow, Scotland. He made significant contributions to the development of the iron industry in the region.
Another bearer of the Port surname was Sir John Port (1778-1839), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was later appointed as the Governor of Malta.
While the Port surname has continued to be present in various parts of the English-speaking world, its origins can be traced back to medieval England and its association with ports, harbors, and maritime activities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Port
Among Census respondents with the surname Port, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Port 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 Port surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 2,388
- Two or more races4.4% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 98
- Black or African American1.7% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Port
Port 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
#11,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,800
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 759 places
2020
#11,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,689
-111 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,524 | 2,797 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,283 | 2,800 | 0.95 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 759 places |
| 2020 | #11,240 | 2,689 | 0.90 | -111 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 43 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 Port 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 | #11,283 | #11,240 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,800 | 2,689 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.90 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Port bearers went from 2,800 to 2,689 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,283 to #11,240.
FAQ
Port surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Port?
Name Census estimates that about 3,084 living Americans carry the surname Port. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,140 residents.
How common is Port?
Port ranks #11,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,689 people with the surname Port. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,084), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Port.
Has Port become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Port went from 2,800 recorded bearers to 2,689. That is a decrease of 111 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,283 to #11,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Port?
Among Census respondents with the surname Port, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Port in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (2,388 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Port appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Port (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 Port mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a port, harbor, or market town. 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 Port (0.90 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 last name Port?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Port at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.