Find out how popular the last name Scales is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Scales.

Scales, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Scales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Scales in America

Scales is the 2732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Scales surname appeared 13,190 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Scales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Scales to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Scales

The surname SCALES originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'scealu', meaning a dish or scale, and was likely an occupational name for someone who made or sold scales, or a nickname for a person who had a scaly skin condition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCALES surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Richard Scales is mentioned in Oxfordshire. The name also appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, listing a Johannes Scalis.

In the 14th century, the SCALES surname was prominent in the county of Norfolk, where it was associated with the village of Scales, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Scalers'.

Notable historical figures with the SCALES surname include Sir Robert Scales (c.1345-1369), a renowned English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was appointed Seneschal of Normandy. Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Scales (c.1399-1460), an English politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SCALES surname spread across England, with pockets of the name found in various counties. One notable figure from this period was Walter Scales (1592-1659), an English clergyman and academic who served as Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, the SCALES surname continued to be found throughout England, with notable bearers including John Scales (1735-1792), a British army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and William Scales (1760-1834), an English theologian and writer.

As the SCALES surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Skales, Skayles, and Scayles, reflecting regional dialects and scribal errors in historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Scales

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Scales.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Scales was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Scales has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Scales was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Scales, please contact us.

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