2000
#5,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Settles
An English occupational surname referring to a person who fixed disputes or made legal agreements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,673 Americans carry the last name Settles. That puts it at #5,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Settles 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
6.7K
1 in 51,364
Census rank
#5,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,819 bearers of the surname Settles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Settles, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (37.6%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Settles
The surname Settles is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "setl," meaning a seat or dwelling place, and was likely used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a particular seat or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a Robert de Settles is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a locational surname, referring to a specific place or settlement.
In the 14th century, the name appears in several records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a William de Setles is mentioned in 1315. This spelling variation, "Setles," highlights the fluidity of surnames during this period.
The Settles name can also be traced to various place names in England, such as Settle in Yorkshire, which was originally recorded as "Setle" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This connection suggests that some individuals bearing the surname may have adopted it as a locational identifier, indicating their place of origin or residence.
Notable historical figures with the surname Settles include:
1. Richard Settles (c. 1570 - 1626), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Croydon in Surrey.
2. John Settles (1638 - 1701), an English merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the colonization of Virginia.
3. Mary Settles (1715 - 1792), a renowned English philanthropist and advocate for women's education in the 18th century.
4. William Settles (1798 - 1872), a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Africa.
5. Elizabeth Settles (1846 - 1919), an influential American educator and advocate for women's rights, particularly in the field of higher education.
These examples demonstrate the widespread use of the Settles surname across various professions and time periods, reflecting its enduring presence in English history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Settles
Among Census respondents with the surname Settles, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (37.6%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Settles 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 Settles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.4% · 3,047
- Black or African American37.6% · 2,187
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 292
- Two or more races4.2% · 246
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Settles
Settles 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
#5,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,137
+459 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#5,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,819
-318 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,603 | 5,678 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,656 | 6,137 | 2.08 | +459 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #5,734 | 5,819 | 1.95 | -318 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 78 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 Settles 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 | #5,656 | #5,734 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,137 | 5,819 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.95 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Settles bearers went from 6,137 to 5,819 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,656 to #5,734.
FAQ
Settles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Settles?
Name Census estimates that about 6,673 living Americans carry the surname Settles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,364 residents.
How common is Settles?
Settles ranks #5,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,819 people with the surname Settles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,673), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Settles.
Has Settles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Settles went from 6,137 recorded bearers to 5,819. That is a decrease of 318 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,656 to #5,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Settles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Settles, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (37.6%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Settles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.4% (3,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Settles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.4%), Black (37.6%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Settles (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 Settles mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who fixed disputes or made legal agreements. 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 Settles (1.95 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 Settles?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.