2000
#4,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.00
Rare Last name
Scarbrough
A locational surname derived from a place in North Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a fortified hill or cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,980 Americans carry the last name Scarbrough. That puts it at #4,382 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,169 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scarbrough 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 Scarbrough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,169
Census rank
#4,382
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,831 bearers of the surname Scarbrough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4382nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarbrough, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scarbrough
The surname Scarbrough has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded references dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "scar" and "burgh," referring to a rocky hill or prominent outcrop near a fortified town or settlement.
One of the earliest known mentions of the name Scarbrough can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where it appears as "Scardeburgh." This early spelling variation suggests a connection to the town of Scarborough, a coastal town in North Yorkshire known for its rugged cliffs and historic castle.
Throughout the medieval period, the Scarbrough name was particularly concentrated in the Yorkshire area, with various branches of the family holding lands and estates in the region. In the 14th century, records show a John de Scardeburg serving as a member of parliament for Yorkshire in 1324.
The Domesday Book, the remarkable survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Scarbrough surname. However, it does mention the settlement of Scarborough, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the geographical location.
One notable figure in the history of the Scarbrough name was Sir Robert Scarbrough (1569-1636), an English courtier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham and held various positions under King James I and King Charles I.
Another prominent individual was Sir Charles Scarbrough (1615-1694), a distinguished military commander during the English Civil War. He fought for the Royalist cause and later served as a Member of Parliament for Northallerton after the Restoration.
In the 18th century, George Scarbrough (1678-1748) was a well-known English mathematician and astronomer, best known for his contributions to the calculation of the orbits of comets and his work on celestial mechanics.
The Scarbrough name also has connections to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being William Scarbrough (1746-1831), a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia who later settled in Tennessee and became a prominent landowner and judge.
Throughout the 19th century, the Scarbrough family continued to play a role in various fields, including politics, academia, and the military. Notable figures from this period include William Henry Scarbrough (1821-1900), a U.S. Congressman from Virginia, and James Scarbrough (1838-1911), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scarbrough
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarbrough, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Scarbrough 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 Scarbrough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 6,386
- Black or African American9.9% · 774
- Two or more races4.5% · 349
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 253
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scarbrough
Scarbrough 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
#4,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,327
+227 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#4,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,831
-496 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,023 | 8,100 | 3.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,256 | 8,327 | 2.82 | +227 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #4,382 | 7,831 | 2.62 | -496 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 126 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 Scarbrough 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 | #4,256 | #4,382 | -3.0% |
| Count | 8,327 | 7,831 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.62 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scarbrough bearers went from 8,327 to 7,831 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,256 to #4,382.
FAQ
Scarbrough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scarbrough?
Name Census estimates that about 8,980 living Americans carry the surname Scarbrough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,169 residents.
How common is Scarbrough?
Scarbrough ranks #4,382 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 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 7,831 people with the surname Scarbrough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 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 Scarbrough.
Has Scarbrough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scarbrough went from 8,327 recorded bearers to 7,831. That is a decrease of 496 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,256 to #4,382.
What does the Census say about the background of Scarbrough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarbrough, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Scarbrough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (6,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scarbrough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Scarbrough (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 Scarbrough mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in North Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a fortified hill or cliff. 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 Scarbrough (2.62 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 Scarbrough?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.