2000
#3,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,093
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.37
Uncommon Last name
Scroggins
A surname of English origin derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the crooked oak tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,193 Americans carry the last name Scroggins. That puts it at #3,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scroggins 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
10K
1 in 33,626
Census rank
#3,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,889 bearers of the surname Scroggins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scroggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scroggins
The surname Scroggins is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "scroggy," which referred to a small, stunted tree or shrub. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a particularly scrubby or shrubby area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scroggins can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert Scroggins is listed as residing in Oxfordshire. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.
In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Scroggen" or "Scroggin," as evidenced by entries in parish records from that time. One notable bearer of the name was John Scroggin, a yeoman farmer who lived in Warwickshire in the late 1500s.
During the 17th century, the Scroggins name spread to other parts of England, as well as to Wales and Scotland. A few notable individuals from this period include William Scroggins (1620-1688), a merchant from Bristol, and Thomas Scroggins (1654-1712), a clergyman who served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Gloucestershire.
In the 18th century, the name continued to be found throughout Britain, with some Scroggins families establishing themselves in Ireland as well. One prominent figure was Sir John Scroggins (1728-1799), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
As the British Empire expanded in the 19th century, the Scroggins name began to appear in various colonies and territories around the world. For example, there were Scroggins families living in Australia, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean by the mid-1800s. One notable individual from this period was James Scroggins (1835-1910), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Throughout its history, the Scroggins surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, clergymen, merchants, soldiers, and politicians. While not an especially common name, it has endured for centuries and can be found in many English-speaking countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scroggins
Among Census respondents with the surname Scroggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Scroggins 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 Scroggins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.7% · 6,194
- Black or African American19.2% · 1,703
- Two or more races5.6% · 497
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 331
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scroggins
Scroggins 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
#3,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,495
+402 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#3,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,889
-606 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,590 | 9,093 | 3.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,732 | 9,495 | 3.22 | +402 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #3,880 | 8,889 | 2.97 | -606 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 148 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 Scroggins 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 | #3,732 | #3,880 | -4.0% |
| Count | 9,495 | 8,889 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.22 | 2.97 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scroggins bearers went from 9,495 to 8,889 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,732 to #3,880.
FAQ
Scroggins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scroggins?
Name Census estimates that about 10,193 living Americans carry the surname Scroggins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,626 residents.
How common is Scroggins?
Scroggins ranks #3,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 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 8,889 people with the surname Scroggins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,193), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 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 Scroggins.
Has Scroggins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scroggins went from 9,495 recorded bearers to 8,889. That is a decrease of 606 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,732 to #3,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Scroggins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scroggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Scroggins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (6,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scroggins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.7%), Black (19.2%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Scroggins (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 Scroggins mean?
A surname of English origin derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the crooked oak tree." 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 Scroggins (2.97 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 are called Scroggins?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Scroggins on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.