2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Straining
Referring to the action of exerting great effort or straining oneself.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Straining. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Straining 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Straining in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Straining, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Straining
The surname "STRAINING" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "strene," which referred to a strong or vigorous person.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a man named John Strening is mentioned as a landholder in the village of Longstanton. This suggests that the surname may have initially been associated with a particular area or region.
In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Streynyng" and "Streynynge," began to appear in various historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which listed a William Streynynge as a taxpayer.
During the 15th century, the surname "STRAINING" seemed to have spread across England, with records indicating individuals bearing the name in counties such as Essex, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. One notable example is Robert Straining, a landowner from Warwickshire who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for the county in 1487.
In the 16th century, the surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with several individuals bearing the name appearing in parish records and other historical documents. For instance, a woman named Agnes Straining was recorded as being buried in the parish of St. Michael's in Bristol in 1564.
Among the notable individuals with the surname "STRAINING" throughout history are:
1. Thomas Straining (c. 1520 - 1594), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Skinners in London.
2. Elizabeth Straining (c. 1570 - 1632), a landowner from Oxfordshire who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights in the early 17th century.
3. John Straining (c. 1610 - 1678), a yeoman farmer from Gloucestershire who left a detailed will bequeathing his lands and possessions to his family members.
4. Mary Straining (c. 1650 - 1721), an influential Quaker activist from Lancashire who advocated for religious tolerance and women's rights.
5. William Straining (c. 1720 - 1798), a merchant and shipowner from Bristol who traded extensively with the American colonies and the West Indies.
While the surname "STRAINING" may have evolved from its Old English origins over the centuries, its historical roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely associated with strength, vigor, and physical prowess.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Straining
Among Census respondents with the surname Straining, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Straining 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 Straining surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 97
- Black or African American8.2% · 9
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Straining
Straining appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,306 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 Straining 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 | #141,140 | #149,446 | -5.9% |
| Count | 118 | 110 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Straining bearers went from 118 to 110 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,306 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #149,446.
FAQ
Straining surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Straining?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Straining. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Straining?
Straining ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Straining. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Straining.
Has Straining become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Straining went from 118 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Straining?
Among Census respondents with the surname Straining, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Straining in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Straining appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (8.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Straining (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 Straining mean?
Referring to the action of exerting great effort or straining oneself. 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 Straining (0.04 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 common is the surname Straining?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Straining on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.