2000
#2,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.77
Uncommon Last name
Scruggs
An English occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells a type of apple.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,137 Americans carry the last name Scruggs. That puts it at #2,386 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scruggs 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
17K
1 in 20,001
Census rank
#2,386
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,944 bearers of the surname Scruggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2386th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scruggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scruggs
The surname Scruggs is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the 14th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "scrogges," which referred to a thicket or a small grove of trees. It is also thought to be related to the Middle English word "shrog," which means a shrub or a bush.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Scruggs can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax returns of 1379, where a Thomas Skrogges is listed. In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as Scrogges, Scroggis, and Scruggis.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir John Scruggs, a prominent landowner and military commander who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents, including the Paston Letters, which provide insight into the lives of the English gentry during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the name Scruggs began to appear in parish records and other documents from various parts of England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Scruggs, who was born in Lancashire in 1542.
During the 17th century, the Scruggs family established roots in the American colonies. One of the earliest immigrants was John Scruggs, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. His descendants went on to become prominent landowners and community leaders in the region.
Another notable figure with the surname Scruggs was Benjamin Scruggs, a soldier and frontiersman who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Virginia in 1756 and later settled in Tennessee, where he played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the region.
In the 19th century, the Scruggs name gained further prominence with the birth of George Paschal Scruggs, a renowned Confederate general during the American Civil War. Born in Georgia in 1834, he served with distinction in numerous battles and was known for his bravery and leadership.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Earl Scruggs, a legendary American banjo player and songwriter who was born in 1924. He was a pioneer of the three-finger banjo picking style and was a major influence in the development of bluegrass music. His contributions to the genre earned him numerous accolades, including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Throughout history, the surname Scruggs has been associated with various occupations and professions, including farming, military service, and music. While its origins can be traced back to England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, where it continues to be a prominent surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scruggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Scruggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scruggs 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 Scruggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.1% · 8,834
- Black or African American32.4% · 4,840
- Two or more races4.8% · 716
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 433
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scruggs
Scruggs 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
#2,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,808
+246 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 5.36
Rank movement Down 169 places
2020
#2,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,944
-864 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 5.00
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,141 | 15,562 | 5.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,310 | 15,808 | 5.36 | +246 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 169 places |
| 2020 | #2,386 | 14,944 | 5.00 | -864 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 76 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 Scruggs 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 | #2,310 | #2,386 | -3.3% |
| Count | 15,808 | 14,944 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.36 | 5.00 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scruggs bearers went from 15,808 to 14,944 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,310 to #2,386.
FAQ
Scruggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scruggs?
Name Census estimates that about 17,137 living Americans carry the surname Scruggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,001 residents.
How common is Scruggs?
Scruggs ranks #2,386 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,944 people with the surname Scruggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Scruggs.
Has Scruggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scruggs went from 15,808 recorded bearers to 14,944. That is a decrease of 864 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,310 to #2,386.
What does the Census say about the background of Scruggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scruggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Scruggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.1% (8,834 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scruggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.1%), Black (32.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Scruggs (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 Scruggs mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells a type of apple. 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 Scruggs (5.00 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 Scruggs?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.