2000
#12,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Surles
A surname of French origin derived from the Old French word "surelle" meaning "sorrel," likely referring to someone with reddish hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,529 Americans carry the last name Surles. That puts it at #13,259 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surles 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 135,530
Census rank
#13,259
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,205 bearers of the surname Surles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13259th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surles, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surles
The surname SURLES is of English origin, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "sur," meaning sour or bitter, which was likely a descriptive nickname for someone with a surly or ill-tempered disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SURLES surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273. Here, a certain John Surles was listed as a resident of the village of Leighton Buzzard.
Another historical reference to the SURLES name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a William Surles is recorded as a taxpayer in the village of Bromsgrove.
The surname SURLES has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Surles, Surless, Surlass, and Surleys. These variations likely emerged due to inconsistent spellings and regional dialects in medieval England.
One notable individual bearing the SURLES surname was Sir John Surles (1456-1518), a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1512 and was knighted by King Henry VIII for his service.
Another historical figure was Robert Surles (1582-1647), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Sutton Valence in Kent from 1619 until his death.
In the 17th century, a branch of the SURLES family settled in the American colonies, with records showing a William Surles (1630-1690) among the early settlers of Virginia.
During the English Civil War, a Captain Thomas Surles (1612-1678) fought on the Parliamentarian side and later served as a member of the Rump Parliament under Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate.
Lastly, a notable literary figure with the SURLES surname was the poet and playwright William Surles (1795-1861), whose works included the popular play "The Lady of the Lake" and several volumes of poetry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surles
Among Census respondents with the surname Surles, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Surles 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 Surles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.3% · 1,087
- Black or African American43.0% · 949
- Two or more races4.0% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surles
Surles 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
#12,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,572
+380 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 747 places
2020
#13,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,205
-367 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,868 | 2,192 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,121 | 2,572 | 0.87 | +380 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 747 places |
| 2020 | #13,259 | 2,205 | 0.74 | -367 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 1,138 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 Surles 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 | #12,121 | #13,259 | -9.4% |
| Count | 2,572 | 2,205 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.74 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surles bearers went from 2,572 to 2,205 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 1,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,121 to #13,259.
FAQ
Surles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surles?
Name Census estimates that about 2,529 living Americans carry the surname Surles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,530 residents.
How common is Surles?
Surles ranks #13,259 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,205 people with the surname Surles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,529), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Surles.
Has Surles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surles went from 2,572 recorded bearers to 2,205. That is a decrease of 367 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,121 to #13,259.
What does the Census say about the background of Surles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surles, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) 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 Surles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (1,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.3%), Black (43.0%), 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 Surles (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 Surles mean?
A surname of French origin derived from the Old French word "surelle" meaning "sorrel," likely referring to someone with reddish hair. 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 Surles (0.74 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 Surles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.