2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Strathdee
A Scottish surname derived from a place name referring to a valley or broad river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Strathdee. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strathdee 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 Strathdee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Strathdee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strathdee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strathdee
The surname Strathdee is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the Gaelic words "srath" meaning "valley" and "dee" referring to the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The name likely originated from someone who resided in the valley of the River Dee or a nearby settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1456, where a John de Strathdee is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established and in use by the mid-15th century. The "de" prefix was commonly used to denote someone's place of origin or residence.
In the 16th century, the name is found in various historical records, such as the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, where a Robert Strathdee is documented in 1545. During this period, the spelling of the name appears to have been more fluid, with variations like Strathdie, Straithdee, and Strathie being used interchangeably.
The earliest known person of note bearing the Strathdee surname was Sir John Strathdee, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent figure in the court of King James VI of Scotland and later King James I of England.
Another notable figure was Robert Strathdee (1736-1811), a Scottish minister and philosopher who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1798. He was known for his writings on moral philosophy and theology.
In the 19th century, the name gained more recognition with individuals like William Strathdee (1828-1898), a Scottish-born merchant and businessman who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. He established several successful businesses and was involved in various civic organizations.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Alexander Strathdee (1868-1942), a Scottish-born architect who worked in South Africa. He designed several notable buildings, including the Cape Town City Hall and the University of Cape Town's Oppenheimer Library.
Lastly, Sir John Strathdee (1902-1987) was a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to Yugoslavia from 1959 to 1962. He had a distinguished career in the Foreign Office and was instrumental in negotiating important treaties and agreements.
Overall, the surname Strathdee has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, with its origins linked to the picturesque valley of the River Dee. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made notable contributions in various fields, including politics, religion, business, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strathdee
Among Census respondents with the surname Strathdee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Strathdee 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 Strathdee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 6
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strathdee
Strathdee 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-2 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,750 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 2,750 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 Strathdee 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 | #158,432 | #155,682 | 1.7% |
| Count | 102 | 100 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strathdee bearers went from 102 to 100 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 2,750 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #155,682.
FAQ
Strathdee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strathdee?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Strathdee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Strathdee?
Strathdee ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Strathdee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Strathdee.
Has Strathdee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strathdee went from 102 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 2 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Strathdee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strathdee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Strathdee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strathdee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Strathdee (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 Strathdee mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name referring to a valley or broad river. 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 Strathdee (0.03 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 share the surname Strathdee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.