2000
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Scurry
An occupational surname referring to a messenger or courier, derived from the Old French "escurier" meaning "running footman."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,488 Americans carry the last name Scurry. That puts it at #13,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scurry 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
2.5K
1 in 137,763
Census rank
#13,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,170 bearers of the surname Scurry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scurry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.9%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scurry
The surname Scurry is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scurran," which means "to run swiftly or to scurry." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their swift movements or agility.
The earliest recorded instances of the Scurry surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. It appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a person named Richard Scurri is mentioned. The name is also present in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, listing a certain John Scurry as a taxpayer.
One notable individual with the Scurry surname was Sir John Scurry, a prominent English lawyer and judge who lived during the 16th century (c. 1520 - 1584). He served as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and was known for his expertise in legal matters.
Another historical figure bearing this surname was Thomas Scurry (1599 - 1659), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Eton College from 1646 until his death. He was a respected scholar and played a significant role in the educational system of his time.
In the 17th century, the Scurry surname can be found in various parish records across England, particularly in counties like Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. One example is Richard Scurry, who was baptized in Warwick in 1632, indicating the presence of the surname in that region.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable Scurry was John Scurry (1733 - 1807), an English merchant and landowner from Worcestershire. He amassed considerable wealth through his business ventures and became a prominent figure in his local community.
The surname Scurry also has a connection to place names in England. There is a village called Scurri in Oxfordshire, which may have derived its name from the same Old English root as the surname. Additionally, the name "Scurry's Bank" appears in historical records, referring to a location in Worcestershire.
Throughout its history, the Scurry surname has been associated with various occupations and social classes, ranging from lawyers and clergymen to merchants and landowners. While not among the most common surnames, it has left its mark on the historical records of England, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scurry
Among Census respondents with the surname Scurry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.9%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Scurry 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 Scurry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.9% · 1,431
- White22.6% · 491
- Two or more races6.4% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scurry
Scurry 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
#13,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,321
+136 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#13,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
-151 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,902 | 2,185 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,171 | 2,321 | 0.79 | +136 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #13,411 | 2,170 | 0.73 | -151 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 240 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 Scurry 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 | #13,171 | #13,411 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,321 | 2,170 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.73 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scurry bearers went from 2,321 to 2,170 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 240 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,171 to #13,411.
FAQ
Scurry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scurry?
Name Census estimates that about 2,488 living Americans carry the surname Scurry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,763 residents.
How common is Scurry?
Scurry ranks #13,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,170 people with the surname Scurry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Scurry.
Has Scurry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scurry went from 2,321 recorded bearers to 2,170. That is a decrease of 151 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,171 to #13,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Scurry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scurry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.9%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Scurry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (1,431 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scurry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.9%), White (22.6%), Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Scurry (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 Scurry mean?
An occupational surname referring to a messenger or courier, derived from the Old French "escurier" meaning "running footman." 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 Scurry (0.73 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 have the surname Scurry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.