2000
#3,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.25
Rare Last name
Register
An occupational surname for an official recorder or registrar of documents, events, or accounts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,566 Americans carry the last name Register. That puts it at #4,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Register 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 Register with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,830
Census rank
#4,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,342 bearers of the surname Register in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Register, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Register
The surname "Register" has its origins in the Old French word "registre", which means "to record" or "to list". It is believed to have emerged as a occupational surname in the 13th century, referring to individuals who were responsible for maintaining records, such as clerks or scribes.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to medieval England, where it was often spelled as "Registre" or "Regestre". One notable mention is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1294, which lists a certain "John Registre" as a taxpayer.
In the 14th century, the surname began to appear in various forms, including "Regester" and "Regestour". An example can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a "Thomas le Regester".
By the 15th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, with instances such as "Regester" and "Register" appearing in records across England. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1440 include a "John Register" among the listed taxpayers.
As the surname spread, it also found its way into other parts of the British Isles. In Scotland, one of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Register, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1480.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Register". One example is Ninian Register, a Scottish minister and author who lived in the late 16th century and wrote a book titled "The Vindication of the Reformation in Scotland".
Another prominent figure was Robert Register, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1625 to 1679. He served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and was known for his sermons and writings on theological subjects.
In the 18th century, John Register was an English architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London and the surrounding areas, including the construction of several churches and public buildings.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Thomas Register, a Scottish artist and painter who was born in 1818 and is remembered for his landscapes and portraits of notable figures of the time.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Walter Register was an American politician and lawyer who served as a Representative from North Carolina in the United States Congress from 1913 to 1915.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Register
Among Census respondents with the surname Register, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Register 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 Register surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 6,812
- Black or African American11.2% · 931
- Two or more races3.5% · 293
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Register
Register 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
#3,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,075
+321 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 196 places
2020
#4,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,342
-733 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,718 | 8,754 | 3.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,914 | 9,075 | 3.08 | +321 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 196 places |
| 2020 | #4,129 | 8,342 | 2.79 | -733 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 215 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 Register 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 | #3,914 | #4,129 | -5.5% |
| Count | 9,075 | 8,342 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.79 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Register bearers went from 9,075 to 8,342 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,914 to #4,129.
FAQ
Register surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Register?
Name Census estimates that about 9,566 living Americans carry the surname Register. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,830 residents.
How common is Register?
Register ranks #4,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,342 people with the surname Register. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Register.
Has Register become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Register went from 9,075 recorded bearers to 8,342. That is a decrease of 733 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,914 to #4,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Register?
Among Census respondents with the surname Register, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Register in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (6,812 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Register appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Register (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 Register mean?
An occupational surname for an official recorder or registrar of documents, events, or accounts. 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 Register (2.79 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 are called Register?
Find out how common the surname Register is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.