2000
#1,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.63
Uncommon Last name
Queen
A nickname-turned-surname for someone with regal bearing or who played the part of a queen in a pageant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,729 Americans carry the last name Queen. That puts it at #1,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Queen 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 Queen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,535
Census rank
#1,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,077 bearers of the surname Queen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Queen, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Queen
The surname Queen is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word "cwen" or "cwene," meaning a woman of high rank or the wife of a king. It is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Queen can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is mentioned in various forms, such as "Quene" and "Cwen," suggesting its long-standing presence in the region.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Queen was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or served in royal households. One notable example is Walter Queen, who lived in the 13th century and served as a royal falconer under King Edward I of England.
As the surname spread across England, it also took on variations in spelling, including Queene, Quene, and Quine. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and scribal practices of the time. Additionally, some variations of the name, such as Queen's and Queenborough, were derived from place names that incorporated the word "queen."
One prominent figure bearing the surname Queen was Walter Queen, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and gained recognition for his valor during the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
In the 16th century, the name Queen gained further prominence with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who ruled from 1558 to 1603. During her reign, the name became closely associated with royalty and prestige, further solidifying its place in English history.
Another notable individual with the surname Queen was John Queen, a 17th-century English clergyman and author. Born in 1609, he served as the Rector of Thurcaston in Leicestershire and published several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the New Testament" in 1670.
As the surname Queen spread across the English-speaking world, it also found its way to other countries, such as the United States and Canada, where it continued to be used by families of English descent. Some notable Americans with the surname include William Queen, a Revolutionary War soldier born in 1753, and James Queen, a 19th-century politician and judge in Illinois.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Queen
Among Census respondents with the surname Queen, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Queen 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 Queen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 13,052
- Black or African American17.6% · 3,189
- Two or more races5.1% · 925
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 627
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Queen
Queen 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
#1,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,557
+676 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 6.29
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,077
-480 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 6.05
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,847 | 17,881 | 6.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,945 | 18,557 | 6.29 | +676 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,948 | 18,077 | 6.05 | -480 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3 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 Queen 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 | #1,945 | #1,948 | -0.2% |
| Count | 18,557 | 18,077 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.29 | 6.05 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Queen bearers went from 18,557 to 18,077 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,945 to #1,948.
FAQ
Queen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Queen?
Name Census estimates that about 20,729 living Americans carry the surname Queen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,535 residents.
How common is Queen?
Queen ranks #1,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,077 people with the surname Queen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Queen.
Has Queen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Queen went from 18,557 recorded bearers to 18,077. That is a decrease of 480 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,945 to #1,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Queen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Queen, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Queen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (13,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Queen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (17.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Queen (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 Queen mean?
A nickname-turned-surname for someone with regal bearing or who played the part of a queen in a pageant. 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 Queen (6.05 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 Queen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.