2000
#18,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,393
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Scearce
Derived from the Old English word "scearu" meaning "scarce" or "scanty".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,554 Americans carry the last name Scearce. That puts it at #19,876 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 220,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scearce 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.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 220,563
Census rank
#19,876
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,355 bearers of the surname Scearce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19876th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scearce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scearce
The surname Scearce originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scear," meaning a plough or ploughshare, and the word "scir," meaning a shire or county. The name likely referred to an occupation or someone who worked with ploughs or lived in an area known for farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scearce can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled under the orders of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a person named Scearce living in the county of Worcestershire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and documents with different spellings, such as Scharce, Sherce, and Shearce. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
The earliest known person with the surname Scearce was John Scearce, born around 1450 in Warwickshire, England. Another notable figure was William Scearce, born in 1525 in Gloucestershire, who was a prominent landowner and farmer during the Tudor period.
In the 17th century, the name Scearce was associated with several places in England, including Scearce Green in Worcestershire and Scearce Manor in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname Scearce who lived or owned land in those areas.
One famous individual with the surname Scearce was Sir Thomas Scearce (1620-1689), a successful merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1680. He played a significant role in the rebuilding of the city after the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Another notable person was Elizabeth Scearce (1675-1748), a renowned author and poet from Gloucestershire, whose works were widely acclaimed during the early 18th century.
In the 18th century, the name Scearce spread to other parts of the British Isles, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in Scotland and Ireland. One such person was Robert Scearce (1745-1812), a Scottish engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early steam engines.
Throughout its history, the surname Scearce has been associated with various occupations, including farming, trade, politics, and literature, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scearce
Among Census respondents with the surname Scearce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Scearce 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 Scearce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,225
- Black or African American3.9% · 53
- Two or more races3.0% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scearce
Scearce 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
#18,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,471
+78 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 340 places
2020
#19,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,355
-116 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 1,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,345 | 1,393 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,685 | 1,471 | 0.50 | +78 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 340 places |
| 2020 | #19,876 | 1,355 | 0.45 | -116 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 1,191 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 Scearce 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 | #18,685 | #19,876 | -6.4% |
| Count | 1,471 | 1,355 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.45 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scearce bearers went from 1,471 to 1,355 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 1,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,685 to #19,876.
FAQ
Scearce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scearce?
Name Census estimates that about 1,554 living Americans carry the surname Scearce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 220,563 residents.
How common is Scearce?
Scearce ranks #19,876 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,355 people with the surname Scearce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Scearce.
Has Scearce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scearce went from 1,471 recorded bearers to 1,355. That is a decrease of 116 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,685 to #19,876.
What does the Census say about the background of Scearce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scearce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Scearce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scearce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Black (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Scearce (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 Scearce mean?
Derived from the Old English word "scearu" meaning "scarce" or "scanty". 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 Scearce (0.45 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 Scearce?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.