2000
#9,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Putney
Derived from a place name meaning "Putta's island" in Old English, referring to a settlement on an island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,405 Americans carry the last name Putney. That puts it at #10,321 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Putney 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 Putney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,662
Census rank
#10,321
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,969 bearers of the surname Putney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10321st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Putney, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Putney
The surname PUTNEY originates from England and is derived from the place name Putney, a district in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "putt" and "ey," meaning "a meadow by a stream or river."
The earliest recorded instance of the surname PUTNEY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Puttenei." This suggests that the name was already established in the area at the time of the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname PUTNEY was Sir William Putney, a knight who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry III and is mentioned in several historical records from that era.
In the 14th century, John Putney, a merchant and landowner, was recorded as owning significant property in the Putney area. His descendants continued to use the surname and played an important role in the local community for several generations.
During the Tudor period, Thomas Putney (1480-1547) was a notable figure. He served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in various political and religious disputes of the time.
In the 17th century, Sir Henry Putney (1615-1682) was a influential landowner and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament for Putney and held several important positions in the local government.
Another notable individual with the surname PUTNEY was Charles Putney (1766-1842), a British artist and engraver. He is known for his intricate engravings of landscapes and architectural scenes, many of which are housed in prestigious collections.
Throughout the centuries, the surname PUTNEY has been associated with the London area, particularly the district of Putney itself. While variations in spelling, such as "Puttnei" and "Puttneye," were common in earlier times, the modern spelling "PUTNEY" became standardized in more recent centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Putney
Among Census respondents with the surname Putney, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Putney 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 Putney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 2,575
- Black or African American5.8% · 171
- Two or more races3.7% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Putney
Putney 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
#10,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
+38 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 630 places
2020
#10,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
-96 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,850 | 3,027 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,480 | 3,065 | 1.04 | +38 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 630 places |
| 2020 | #10,321 | 2,969 | 0.99 | -96 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 159 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 Putney 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 | #10,480 | #10,321 | 1.5% |
| Count | 3,065 | 2,969 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.99 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Putney bearers went from 3,065 to 2,969 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,480 to #10,321.
FAQ
Putney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Putney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,405 living Americans carry the surname Putney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,662 residents.
How common is Putney?
Putney ranks #10,321 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,969 people with the surname Putney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,405), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Putney.
Has Putney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Putney went from 3,065 recorded bearers to 2,969. That is a decrease of 96 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,480 to #10,321.
What does the Census say about the background of Putney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Putney, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Putney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (2,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Putney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Putney (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 Putney mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Putta's island" in Old English, referring to a settlement on an island. 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 Putney (0.99 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 Putney?
If you just want to know how common the surname Putney is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.