2000
#12,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,384
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Surface
An occupational surname referring to a surveyor or a dweller near a spring or water source.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,495 Americans carry the last name Surface. That puts it at #13,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surface 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
2.5K
1 in 137,376
Census rank
#13,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,176 bearers of the surname Surface in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surface, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surface
The surname Surface is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "surffece," which referred to a person who worked with or on surfaces, such as a plasterer, mason, or builder.
In medieval times, surnames were often adopted based on a person's trade or occupation, and the name Surface would have identified someone who worked with surfaces or structures. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 15th century in various parish records and tax rolls from counties such as Essex, Suffolk, and Kent.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Surface, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1482. Another early record is that of William Surface, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex in 1524.
The name Surface has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Surface Hill in Staffordshire and Surface Green in Hampshire. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname in certain regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Surface include Thomas Surface (1548-1623), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Woodmancote in Sussex. Another person of note was Richard Surface (1670-1738), a prominent merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire.
In the 18th century, John Surface (1722-1792) was a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including St. Martin's Church in Camden Town. His son, William Surface (1760-1828), followed in his footsteps and became a respected architect as well.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Surface (1820-1898), a philanthropist and social reformer from Yorkshire, who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the poor and advocating for women's rights.
While the surname Surface is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, merchants, architects, and social reformers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surface
Among Census respondents with the surname Surface, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Surface 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 Surface surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,991
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 70
- Two or more races3.0% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surface
Surface 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
#12,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,377
-7 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 907 places
2020
#13,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,176
-201 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,022 | 2,384 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,929 | 2,377 | 0.81 | -7 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 907 places |
| 2020 | #13,383 | 2,176 | 0.73 | -201 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 454 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 Surface 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 | #12,929 | #13,383 | -3.5% |
| Count | 2,377 | 2,176 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.73 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surface bearers went from 2,377 to 2,176 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 454 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,929 to #13,383.
FAQ
Surface surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surface?
Name Census estimates that about 2,495 living Americans carry the surname Surface. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,376 residents.
How common is Surface?
Surface ranks #13,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,176 people with the surname Surface. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Surface.
Has Surface become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surface went from 2,377 recorded bearers to 2,176. That is a decrease of 201 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,929 to #13,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Surface?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surface, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Surface in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surface appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Surface (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 Surface mean?
An occupational surname referring to a surveyor or a dweller near a spring or water source. 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 Surface (0.73 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 Surface?
See how many people have the surname Surface on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.