2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scrutchins
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "escorchier" meaning to flay or skin animals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Scrutchins. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scrutchins 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Scrutchins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scrutchins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scrutchins
The surname SCRUTCHINS has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an occupational name, referring to individuals who were employed as scrutineers or inspectors, tasked with examining and verifying goods or documents.
In medieval England, the name was often spelled as SCRUTCHIN, SCRUTCHYN, or SCRUCHEN, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that era. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a certain John Scrutchyn is mentioned.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Richard Scrutchins, a merchant from London who lived during the latter half of the 14th century. His name is found in various trade records and legal documents from that period, indicating his involvement in the city's thriving mercantile activities.
In the 16th century, the SCRUTCHINS name appears to have been concentrated in the county of Norfolk, where several families bearing this surname resided. One such individual was William Scrutchins, born in 1542 in the village of Hingham, who served as a local magistrate and landowner.
The SCRUTCHINS name also has a connection to the village of Scratching, located in the county of Suffolk. It is possible that some branches of the family may have derived their surname from this place name, which could have been an alternative spelling or pronunciation of SCRUTCHINS.
During the 17th century, the name gained prominence with the rise of Sir John Scrutchins, a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England from 1673 to 1681. His legacy and contributions to the legal system of his time were widely recognized.
Another notable figure was Thomas Scrutchins, born in 1623 in the city of York, who was a renowned scholar and theologian. He authored several influential works on religious philosophy and served as the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral from 1677 until his death in 1695.
In the 18th century, the SCRUTCHINS surname found its way to the American colonies, where several individuals bearing this name settled and established themselves. One such example is Benjamin Scrutchins, who was born in 1745 in Massachusetts and later became a prominent merchant and landowner in the newly independent United States.
Throughout history, the SCRUTCHINS name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, lawyers, scholars, and public servants, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical diversity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scrutchins
Among Census respondents with the surname Scrutchins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scrutchins 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 Scrutchins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.3% · 79
- White14.9% · 17
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scrutchins
Scrutchins 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+10 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 599 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 599 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,338 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 Scrutchins 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 | #140,157 | #146,495 | -4.5% |
| Count | 119 | 114 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scrutchins bearers went from 119 to 114 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #146,495.
FAQ
Scrutchins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scrutchins?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Scrutchins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Scrutchins?
Scrutchins ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Scrutchins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Scrutchins.
Has Scrutchins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scrutchins went from 119 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Scrutchins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scrutchins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Two or More Races (8.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Scrutchins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scrutchins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (69.3%), White (14.9%), Two or More Races (8.8%). 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 Scrutchins (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 Scrutchins mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "escorchier" meaning to flay or skin animals. 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 Scrutchins (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 people share the surname Scrutchins?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.