Find out how popular the last name Trask is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Trask.

Trask, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Trask surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trask in America

Trask is the 5639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trask surname appeared 6,162 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Trask.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trask to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Trask

The surname Trask is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "trasc," which means "trash" or "fallen branch." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near or worked with fallen branches or discarded materials.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1273, where it appears as "William Trask" in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk. During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England.

In the 16th century, the Trask surname began to spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. One notable example is William Trask, a Puritan minister who was born in 1584 in Somersetshire and later emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Trask surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Trescha and Treschet.

In the 17th century, the Trask surname gained prominence in New England, where several individuals with this name played significant roles in the region's history. One such person was Joseph Trask (1679-1759), a prominent landowner and judge in Hampton, New Hampshire.

Other notable individuals with the surname Trask include:

1. Benjamin Trask (1770-1831), an American merchant and shipowner from Salem, Massachusetts.
2. John Trask (1824-1879), an American philologist and linguist known for his work on the English language and its origins.
3. Blanche Trask (1881-1940), an American author and poet who wrote extensively about rural life in Maine.
4. Spencer Trask (1844-1909), an American banker and financier who co-founded the firm Trask & Baylies in New York City.
5. John Trask (1592-1672), an early Puritan settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of the town of Beverly.

Throughout its history, the Trask surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Traske, Trast, Trasque, and Tresque. Additionally, some place names, such as Trask Island in Maine and Trask River in British Columbia, Canada, bear this surname, reflecting the geographical spread of individuals with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trask

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Trask.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Trask was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Trask has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Trask was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Trask, please contact us.

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