2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scraggs
A topographic surname derived from a scraggy (rough, broken) landscape.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Scraggs. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scraggs 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 Scraggs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Scraggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scraggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scraggs
The surname "SCRAGGS" is believed to have originated in England, with its roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a derivation of the Old English word "scragga," which referred to a thin or scraggly individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William Scragge is mentioned as a resident of Oxfordshire. The name also appears in various tax records and parish registers from the 14th and 15th centuries, often appearing with variations in spelling such as "Scraggy," "Scraggie," and "Scraggey."
Interestingly, the name "SCRAGGS" is closely associated with the village of Scraggs, located in the county of Derbyshire. It is believed that the surname may have originated from this place name, which itself is derived from the Old English words "scracg," meaning a thin, stunted tree, and "hyll," meaning a hill.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "SCRAGGS" was John Scraggs, a merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was William Scraggs, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1555 during the Marian Persecutions under Queen Mary I.
In the 17th century, the name "SCRAGGS" gained some prominence with the birth of Edward Scraggs (1617-1692), an English clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of Taunton in Somerset. His son, Walter Scraggs (1648-1712), followed in his footsteps and became a respected Anglican minister.
Another significant figure was Thomas Scraggs (1688-1753), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. His descendants went on to establish themselves as prominent members of the gentry class in the region.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the name "SCRAGGS" continued to be found across various parts of England, with families bearing this surname residing in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Warwickshire. Notable individuals from this period include Thomas Scraggs (1799-1876), a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Manchester, and Margaret Scraggs (1842-1921), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scraggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Scraggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scraggs 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 Scraggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scraggs
Scraggs 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,272 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,272 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 3,245 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 Scraggs 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 | #146,201 | #149,446 | -2.2% |
| Count | 113 | 110 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scraggs bearers went from 113 to 110 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 3,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #149,446.
FAQ
Scraggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scraggs?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Scraggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Scraggs?
Scraggs ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Scraggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Scraggs.
Has Scraggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scraggs went from 113 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Scraggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scraggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Scraggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scraggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Black (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Scraggs (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 Scraggs mean?
A topographic surname derived from a scraggy (rough, broken) landscape. 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 Scraggs (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Scraggs?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.