Find out how popular the last name Southworth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Southworth.

Southworth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Southworth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Southworth in America

Southworth is the 7004th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Southworth surname appeared 4,783 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Southworth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Southworth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Southworth

The surname Southworth has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Southworth, which is located near Warrington in the county of Lancashire. The name is composed of the Old English words "sūth" meaning south and "worth" meaning an enclosed settlement or farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Southworth surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire, a record of financial transactions, from the year 1176. This document mentions a Richard de Southworth, indicating the surname's use during the 12th century. The Southworth family was also mentioned in the Testa de Nevill, a survey of land ownership conducted in the late 13th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a valuable record of land ownership and taxation during the Norman conquest, the village of Southworth is recorded as "Surdesuuord". This early spelling provides insight into the name's evolution over time.

The Southworth family played a notable role in the history of Lancashire. Sir John Southworth (c. 1592-1654) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Newton in Lancashire during the English Civil War. Another notable figure was Sir John Southworth (1735-1807), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.

Other notable individuals with the Southworth surname include Edward Southworth (1590-1620), an English Puritan minister who was one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and Constant Southworth (1615-1679), an early settler of the Plymouth Colony and a member of the colony's council of war.

Thomas Southworth (1597-1654) was an English clergyman and religious writer who served as a vicar in various parishes in Lancashire and Yorkshire. His works, including "Supplication of Saints" and "Sayings of the Ancient Divines", were influential in their time.

These examples demonstrate the historical significance and widespread use of the Southworth surname, particularly in England and the early English colonies in North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Southworth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Southworth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Southworth was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Southworth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Southworth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Southworth, please contact us.

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