2000
#2,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,581
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.66
Uncommon Last name
Salisbury
A locational surname referring to a person from Salisbury, a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,271 Americans carry the last name Salisbury. That puts it at #2,814 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salisbury 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 Salisbury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,018
Census rank
#2,814
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,445 bearers of the surname Salisbury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2814th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salisbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salisbury
The surname Salisbury originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the place name "Salisbury", which was originally spelled "Sarisberie" in Old English. The name refers to the historic city of Salisbury, located in Wiltshire, England.
Salisbury is a locational surname, meaning it was originally given to someone who came from or lived in the city of Salisbury. The city's name itself comes from the Old English words "sæl" meaning "marshy" and "burg" meaning "fortified place" or "town".
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Salisbury can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Sarisberie" in this historic document.
In the 13th century, a notable individual with the surname Salisbury was William de Salisbury, who served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1229 to 1244. Another early bearer of the name was John de Salisbury (c. 1120 - 1180), an English philosopher, author, and scholar who served as the secretary to King Henry II.
During the 15th century, Sir John Salisbury (c. 1420 - 1484) was a prominent English nobleman and soldier who fought in the Wars of the Roses. He was knighted for his service to King Edward IV and served as Lord Chamberlain.
In the 16th century, Sir Robert Salisbury (c. 1563 - 1612) was an English philosopher and scholar who held positions at Oxford University and served as Secretary of State under King James I.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Salisbury was Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563 - 1612), who served as Lord Privy Seal and Secretary of State under Queen Elizabeth I and later as Lord High Treasurer under King James I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salisbury
Among Census respondents with the surname Salisbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Salisbury 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 Salisbury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 11,042
- Two or more races3.9% · 480
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 441
- Black or African American2.7% · 336
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salisbury
Salisbury 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
#2,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,038
+457 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#2,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,445
-593 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,640 | 12,581 | 4.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,768 | 13,038 | 4.42 | +457 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #2,814 | 12,445 | 4.16 | -593 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 46 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 Salisbury 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 | #2,768 | #2,814 | -1.7% |
| Count | 13,038 | 12,445 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.42 | 4.16 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salisbury bearers went from 13,038 to 12,445 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,768 to #2,814.
FAQ
Salisbury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salisbury?
Name Census estimates that about 14,271 living Americans carry the surname Salisbury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,018 residents.
How common is Salisbury?
Salisbury ranks #2,814 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,445 people with the surname Salisbury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Salisbury.
Has Salisbury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salisbury went from 13,038 recorded bearers to 12,445. That is a decrease of 593 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,768 to #2,814.
What does the Census say about the background of Salisbury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salisbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (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 Salisbury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (11,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salisbury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (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 Salisbury (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 Salisbury mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Salisbury, a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England. 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 Salisbury (4.16 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 share the surname Salisbury?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.