2000
#13,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Standard
A descriptive surname referring to a flag bearer or a standard-bearer in an army or military unit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,047 Americans carry the last name Standard. That puts it at #15,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Standard 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
2.0K
1 in 167,442
Census rank
#15,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,785 bearers of the surname Standard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Standard, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Standard
The surname STANDARD is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be an occupational name derived from the Old French word "estandart," which referred to a standard-bearer, a person who carried the military standard or banner into battle.
The earliest known record of the name STANDARD appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a Richard le Standard is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname by the late 13th century in England.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname STANDARD likely referred to individuals who held the prestigious role of carrying the standard or banner for a noble household, a military unit, or a religious order. As an occupational name, it would have been passed down from father to son within families associated with these roles.
In the 16th century, we find mentions of the surname in various historical records, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1524, which lists a John Standard. This suggests that the name had become more widespread across different regions of England by this time.
One notable individual with the surname STANDARD was Sir Thomas Standard, born in 1516, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1567. He was a prominent merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, an influential trade guild in London at the time.
Another individual of note was William Standard, born in 1602 in Nottinghamshire, England. He was a Puritan clergyman and a member of the Westminster Assembly, a body of theologians and clergymen appointed by the Long Parliament in 1643 to reform the Church of England.
In the 18th century, we find references to the surname STANDARD in various parish records and court documents across England. For example, a John Standard was mentioned in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Alnwick, Northumberland, in 1741.
One notable bearer of the surname during this period was Robert Standard, born in 1732 in Yorkshire. He was a renowned architect and surveyor who worked on several significant projects, including the construction of the West Riding Court House in Leeds.
As the name spread more widely across England and beyond, it also underwent variations in spelling, such as Standert, Standart, and Standerd, likely due to regional dialects and scribal errors in historical records.
While the surname STANDARD is not as common as some others, it has a rich history and associations with important individuals and occupations in England, reflecting the country's military, religious, and mercantile past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Standard
Among Census respondents with the surname Standard, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Standard 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 Standard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 1,268
- Black or African American19.6% · 349
- Two or more races4.5% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Standard
Standard 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
#15,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,956
-39 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,195 places
2020
#15,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
-171 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 663 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,885 | 1,995 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,080 | 1,956 | 0.66 | -39 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 1,195 places |
| 2020 | #15,743 | 1,785 | 0.60 | -171 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 663 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 Standard 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 | #15,080 | #15,743 | -4.4% |
| Count | 1,956 | 1,785 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.60 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Standard bearers went from 1,956 to 1,785 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 663 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,080 to #15,743.
FAQ
Standard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Standard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,047 living Americans carry the surname Standard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,442 residents.
How common is Standard?
Standard ranks #15,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,785 people with the surname Standard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Standard.
Has Standard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Standard went from 1,956 recorded bearers to 1,785. That is a decrease of 171 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,080 to #15,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Standard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Standard, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Standard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (1,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Standard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (19.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Standard (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 Standard mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a flag bearer or a standard-bearer in an army or military unit. 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 Standard (0.60 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 last name Standard?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Standard at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.