2000
#9,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Range
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a mountain range or on rangelands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,457 Americans carry the last name Range. That puts it at #10,179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Range 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 Range with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 99,148
Census rank
#10,179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,015 bearers of the surname Range in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Range, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Range
The surname Range originated in England during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "rang," meaning a row or line, which may have referred to a person who lived along a ridge or row of houses. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who worked as a ranger, responsible for maintaining a particular area or forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Range can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William le Range is mentioned in Oxfordshire. The Hundredorum Rolls, also known as the Rotuli Hundredorum, were a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of Edward I.
In the 14th century, the surname Range appeared in various forms, such as Ranger, le Raunger, and Raunge, reflecting the diverse spellings common in medieval times. A notable early bearer of this name was John le Ranger, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, a legal record of land transfers.
The Range surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One prominent figure was William Range (1555-1621), an English Catholic priest and controversialist who was a vocal opponent of the Protestant Reformation. Another notable bearer was George Range (1670-1748), an English physician and writer who published works on midwifery and childbirth.
In the 16th century, the surname Range was also found in areas of Scotland, particularly in the Borders region. One example is Robert Range, a clergyman who served as the minister of Swinton in Berwickshire in the late 1500s.
As the surname spread across England and Scotland, it became associated with various place names. For instance, the village of Rannoch in Perthshire, Scotland, was historically known as Rannaghoid, meaning "a place of bracken," which may have influenced the Range surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Range include James Range (1799-1876), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, and Thomas Range (1820-1900), an English botanist and curator of the Society of Apothecaries' Gardens in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Range
Among Census respondents with the surname Range, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Range 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 Range surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.0% · 1,567
- Black or African American34.3% · 1,034
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 204
- Two or more races5.7% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Range
Range 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
#9,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,306
+258 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 1 places
2020
#10,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,015
-291 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,795 | 3,048 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,794 | 3,306 | 1.12 | +258 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 1 places |
| 2020 | #10,179 | 3,015 | 1.01 | -291 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 385 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 Range 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 | #9,794 | #10,179 | -3.9% |
| Count | 3,306 | 3,015 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.01 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Range bearers went from 3,306 to 3,015 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 385 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,794 to #10,179.
FAQ
Range surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Range?
Name Census estimates that about 3,457 living Americans carry the surname Range. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,148 residents.
How common is Range?
Range ranks #10,179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,015 people with the surname Range. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,457), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Range.
Has Range become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Range went from 3,306 recorded bearers to 3,015. That is a decrease of 291 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,794 to #10,179.
What does the Census say about the background of Range?
Among Census respondents with the surname Range, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Range in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.0% (1,567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Range appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.0%), Black (34.3%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Range (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 Range mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a mountain range or on rangelands. 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 Range (1.01 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 Range?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Range is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.