2000
#3,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.06
Uncommon Last name
Strand
An occupational surname for someone who lived near a beach or worked with ropes or cords.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,542 Americans carry the last name Strand. That puts it at #3,464 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,696 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strand 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 Strand with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,696
Census rank
#3,464
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,065 bearers of the surname Strand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3464th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strand, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strand
The surname Strand originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "strand," which means the shore or bank of a river or sea. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a shoreline or coastal area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1195, where a person named Richard de la Strande is mentioned. The "de la" prefix suggests the name was originally a descriptive phrase referring to someone living near a particular strand or shore.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England, there are several entries for people with the surname Strand or variations like Stronde and Strund. This indicates the name was well-established by the 13th century and associated with different coastal regions of the country.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Strand. However, it does mention several place names containing the word "strand," such as Strande in Hertfordshire and Strandene in Lincolnshire, which may have influenced the development of the surname in those areas.
One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Richard Strand (c. 1516-1600), an English merchant and adventurer who participated in several expeditions to the Americas and was involved in the early colonization efforts of Virginia. Another was John Strand (1572-1637), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with individuals like Samuel Strand (1620-1675) and his son, also named Samuel Strand (1652-1718), being among the early settlers in New England.
Other notable people with the surname Strand include Gustav Strand (1796-1863), a Swedish painter and art teacher, and Paul Strand (1890-1976), an influential American photographer and filmmaker known for his avant-garde work and contributions to the development of modern photography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strand
Among Census respondents with the surname Strand, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Strand 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 Strand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 8,829
- Black or African American5.1% · 515
- Two or more races3.1% · 314
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 284
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strand
Strand 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
#3,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,051
+89 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#3,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,065
-986 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,031 | 10,962 | 4.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,265 | 11,051 | 3.75 | +89 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #3,464 | 10,065 | 3.37 | -986 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 199 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 Strand 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 | #3,265 | #3,464 | -6.1% |
| Count | 11,051 | 10,065 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.75 | 3.37 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strand bearers went from 11,051 to 10,065 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 199 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,265 to #3,464.
FAQ
Strand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strand?
Name Census estimates that about 11,542 living Americans carry the surname Strand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,696 residents.
How common is Strand?
Strand ranks #3,464 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.37 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 10,065 people with the surname Strand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.37 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 Strand.
Has Strand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strand went from 11,051 recorded bearers to 10,065. That is a decrease of 986 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,265 to #3,464.
What does the Census say about the background of Strand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strand, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Strand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (8,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Strand (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 Strand mean?
An occupational surname for someone who lived near a beach or worked with ropes or cords. 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 Strand (3.37 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 surname Strand?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.