2000
#3,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.98
Uncommon Last name
Skidmore
An English occupational surname referring to a dealer or trader of hides and animal skins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,778 Americans carry the last name Skidmore. That puts it at #3,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skidmore 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Skidmore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,101
Census rank
#3,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,271 bearers of the surname Skidmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skidmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skidmore
The surname Skidmore is an English locational name derived from a place called Skidmore in Shropshire. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "sceadan" meaning to divide or separate, and "mor" meaning a moor or marsh. This suggests the name originated from a place near a divided or separated marsh or moorland.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Shropshire Assize Rolls of 1292, where one William de Skydymor was mentioned. The spelling variations in early documents include Skydymor, Skydmore, Skidmore, and Skydmayre among others.
In the 16th century, the Skidmore surname appears in various parish records across Shropshire and the surrounding counties. Notably, a John Skidmore was recorded in the Munslow Parish Registers in 1572, and a Richard Skidmore was mentioned in the Shrewsbury Abbey Rolls in 1588.
One of the earliest known Skidmores was Thomas Skidmore (c.1510-1572), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Dorset and held several other ecclesiastical positions. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir William Skidmore (c.1580-1661), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the Skidmore family had established itself as a prominent landowning family in Shropshire. One of the most notable members was Thomas Skidmore (1745-1827), a wealthy landowner and industrialist who owned several coal mines and ironworks in the area.
During the 19th century, the Skidmore name spread across various parts of England and beyond. One of the most famous Skidmores of this era was Thomas Skidmore (1790-1868), a noted English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Other notable individuals with the Skidmore surname include Sir Armine Woodhouse Skidmore (1854-1948), a British army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross; and Steve Skidmore (1939-2020), an English football player who played for several top clubs, including Liverpool and Leicester City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skidmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Skidmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Skidmore 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 Skidmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 9,196
- Two or more races3.3% · 337
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 286
- Black or African American2.5% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skidmore
Skidmore 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
#3,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,841
+96 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.68
Rank movement Down 219 places
2020
#3,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,271
-570 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,091 | 10,745 | 3.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,310 | 10,841 | 3.68 | +96 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 219 places |
| 2020 | #3,405 | 10,271 | 3.44 | -570 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 95 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 Skidmore 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 | #3,310 | #3,405 | -2.9% |
| Count | 10,841 | 10,271 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.68 | 3.44 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skidmore bearers went from 10,841 to 10,271 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,310 to #3,405.
FAQ
Skidmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skidmore?
Name Census estimates that about 11,778 living Americans carry the surname Skidmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,101 residents.
How common is Skidmore?
Skidmore ranks #3,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.44 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 10,271 people with the surname Skidmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,778), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.44 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 Skidmore.
Has Skidmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skidmore went from 10,841 recorded bearers to 10,271. That is a decrease of 570 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,310 to #3,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Skidmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skidmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Skidmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (9,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skidmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Skidmore (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 Skidmore mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a dealer or trader of hides and animal skins. 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 Skidmore (3.44 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 Skidmore?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.