2000
#7,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,939
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Surber
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a swamp or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,276 Americans carry the last name Surber. That puts it at #8,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surber 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
4.3K
1 in 80,158
Census rank
#8,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,729 bearers of the surname Surber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surber
The surname Surber has its roots in the French language, originating from the northern region of France during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French term "sur" meaning "sour" or "acid," and "ber," a word referring to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a sour or acidic stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Surber surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, which documented landowners and their properties across England. In this record, the name appears as "Surber," indicating its presence in England during the Norman conquest.
During the 13th century, the Surber family was notably present in the region of Normandy, France. Historical records from this period mention a Guillaume Surber, born in 1245, who served as a knight in the service of the French king.
In the 16th century, the name Surber appeared in various spellings, such as "Sourber," "Sourbert," and "Surberts," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. One notable individual from this era was Jean Surber, born in 1532, who was a renowned architect and contributed to the design of several notable buildings in Paris.
As the centuries progressed, the Surber name spread across Europe, with families bearing this surname found in regions like Germany and Switzerland. In the 18th century, Jakob Surber, born in 1715 in Basel, Switzerland, gained recognition as a skilled watchmaker and contributed to the development of precise timekeeping mechanisms.
Another prominent figure with the Surber surname was Charles Surber, born in 1789 in Alsace, France. He was a renowned botanist and naturalist who conducted extensive research on plant species found in the Alsace region and published several influential works on the subject.
Moving into the 19th century, the Surber name found its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. One notable American with this surname was William Surber, born in 1825 in Virginia. He was a renowned Civil War soldier who fought bravely for the Union army and received numerous commendations for his service.
Throughout history, the Surber surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the rich tapestry of cultures and experiences that have shaped its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surber
Among Census respondents with the surname Surber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Surber 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 Surber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 3,396
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 145
- Two or more races3.4% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 31
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surber
Surber 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
#8,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,037
+98 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 443 places
2020
#8,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
-308 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,777 | 3,939 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,220 | 4,037 | 1.37 | +98 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 443 places |
| 2020 | #8,491 | 3,729 | 1.25 | -308 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 271 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 Surber 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 | #8,220 | #8,491 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,037 | 3,729 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.25 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surber bearers went from 4,037 to 3,729 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 271 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,220 to #8,491.
FAQ
Surber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surber?
Name Census estimates that about 4,276 living Americans carry the surname Surber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,158 residents.
How common is Surber?
Surber ranks #8,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,729 people with the surname Surber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Surber.
Has Surber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surber went from 4,037 recorded bearers to 3,729. That is a decrease of 308 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,220 to #8,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Surber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Surber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (3,396 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Surber (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 Surber mean?
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a swamp or marsh. 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 Surber (1.25 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 Surber?
See how common the surname Surber is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.