2000
#3,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,579
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Rare Last name
Strain
An English occupational surname for a builder or maintainer of roads, from the Old English "stræt" meaning road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,824 Americans carry the last name Strain. That puts it at #4,020 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strain 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 Strain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 34,889
Census rank
#4,020
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,567 bearers of the surname Strain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4020th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strain, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strain
The surname Strain has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "strind" or the Middle English word "strene," both meaning "stream" or "river." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a stream or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Strain can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Strene" in this historical record, indicating its presence in Scotland during that time period.
In the 14th century, the surname Strain appears in various Scottish records, often in reference to individuals from the regions of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. The name may have been associated with specific places, such as Straiton in Ayrshire or Strathaven in Lanarkshire, further reinforcing its connection to geographical features.
Notable individuals with the surname Strain include Sir John Strain (1619-1687), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1665 to 1667. Another prominent figure was Robert Strain (1718-1787), a Scottish philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of optics.
In the 19th century, William Strain (1821-1892) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons. Additionally, John Strain (1835-1915) was a Scottish-American civil engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of early typewriters.
One particularly notable individual was Isabel Strain (1915-2005), a Scottish artist and illustrator renowned for her children's book illustrations, including those for the popular "Babar the Elephant" series by Jean de Brunhoff.
The surname Strain has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with its origins dating back to the 12th century. While it may have initially been a descriptive name related to geographical features, it has since become a prominent surname associated with various notable figures throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strain
Among Census respondents with the surname Strain, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Strain 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 Strain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 7,197
- Black or African American7.9% · 673
- Two or more races3.8% · 328
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 271
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strain
Strain 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
#3,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,883
+304 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.01
Rank movement Down 205 places
2020
#4,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,567
-316 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,794 | 8,579 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,999 | 8,883 | 3.01 | +304 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 205 places |
| 2020 | #4,020 | 8,567 | 2.87 | -316 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 21 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 Strain 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 | #3,999 | #4,020 | -0.5% |
| Count | 8,883 | 8,567 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.01 | 2.87 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strain bearers went from 8,883 to 8,567 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,999 to #4,020.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Strain
FAQ
Strain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strain?
Name Census estimates that about 9,824 living Americans carry the surname Strain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,889 residents.
How common is Strain?
Strain ranks #4,020 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.87 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 8,567 people with the surname Strain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.87 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 Strain.
Has Strain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strain went from 8,883 recorded bearers to 8,567. That is a decrease of 316 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,999 to #4,020.
What does the Census say about the background of Strain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strain, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Strain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (7,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Strain (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 Strain mean?
An English occupational surname for a builder or maintainer of roads, from the Old English "stræt" meaning road. 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 Strain (2.87 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 are called Strain?
You can see how many people have the surname Strain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.