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

Scribner, 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 Scribner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Scribner in America

Scribner is the 5311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Scribner surname appeared 6,558 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Scribner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Scribner 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 Scribner

The surname Scribner originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "scriveyn," meaning a scribe or clerk. These individuals were responsible for transcribing official documents, legal papers, and manuscripts in an era when literacy was rare.

The earliest known record of the Scribner surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Oxfordshire, where the name was spelled various ways, including Scrivener, Screveyn, and Scryveyn. This region was a hub for monastic communities, where scribes were often employed to copy religious texts and maintain records.

In the 14th century, the Scribner name appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire, an ancient tax record documenting landowners and freeholders. This provides evidence of the surname's establishment in different parts of England during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Scribner surname was Richard Scrivener, who was born in Buckinghamshire around 1370. He worked as a clerk for the local manor and was mentioned in several land deeds and court records from that era.

In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with the rise of the printing industry. John Scribner (1516-1589) was a renowned printer and publisher based in London, known for his high-quality publications and innovative printing techniques. His son, Roger Scribner (1548-1612), also followed in his footsteps as a respected printer and bookseller.

Another notable figure was Thomas Scribner (1617-1694), a Puritan minister from Suffolk who emigrated to New England in the 1630s. He became one of the founders of the town of Hampton, New Hampshire, and served as the community's first minister for over 40 years.

In the 18th century, William Scribner (1738-1809) was a prominent merchant and landowner from Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, supplying provisions to the Continental Army and serving as a representative in the state legislature.

As the centuries passed, the Scribner surname spread across the English-speaking world, with many descendants settling in various parts of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Scribner

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

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 Scribner 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 Scribner 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 Scribner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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