2000
#17,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Trogdon
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "hill valley" or "valley path".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,725 Americans carry the last name Trogdon. That puts it at #18,237 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 198,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trogdon 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
1.7K
1 in 198,698
Census rank
#18,237
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,504 bearers of the surname Trogdon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18237th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trogdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trogdon
The surname Trogdon is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an Old English place name, possibly "Troc's Valley" or "Troc's Hill," where "Troc" was a personal name. The earliest known spelling variations of the name include Trockedon, Trokeden, and Troggedene.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Trogdon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Trochedon," referring to a landowner or tenant in the county of Somerset.
In the 13th century, a reference to a "William Troggedene" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, a historical record of financial accounts and transactions in the county. This suggests that the surname had spread to other parts of England by this time.
During the 16th century, the Trogdon surname appeared in various parish records and court documents across England. Notable individuals from this period include John Trogdon, a merchant from Bristol who was born in 1532, and Thomas Trogdon, a landowner from Wiltshire who was born in 1568.
In the 17th century, the Trogdon name gained prominence through the exploits of Sir William Trogdon, a military officer who served in the English Civil War. Born in 1620 in Dorset, he fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was knighted for his bravery in battle. He died in 1689.
Another notable figure bearing the Trogdon surname was Edward Trogdon, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived in the late 18th century. Born in 1745 in Oxfordshire, he served as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas and was widely respected for his legal expertise and integrity.
As the centuries passed, the Trogdon surname continued to be found throughout England, with various branches of the family settling in different regions. While the origins of the name can be traced back to medieval times, its endurance and spread across the country reflect its deep roots in English history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trogdon
Among Census respondents with the surname Trogdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Trogdon 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 Trogdon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 1,312
- Black or African American5.9% · 89
- Two or more races4.2% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trogdon
Trogdon 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
#17,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,606
+69 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 490 places
2020
#18,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,504
-102 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 707 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,040 | 1,537 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,530 | 1,606 | 0.54 | +69 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 490 places |
| 2020 | #18,237 | 1,504 | 0.50 | -102 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 707 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 Trogdon 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 | #17,530 | #18,237 | -4.0% |
| Count | 1,606 | 1,504 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.50 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trogdon bearers went from 1,606 to 1,504 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 707 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,530 to #18,237.
FAQ
Trogdon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trogdon?
Name Census estimates that about 1,725 living Americans carry the surname Trogdon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 198,698 residents.
How common is Trogdon?
Trogdon ranks #18,237 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,504 people with the surname Trogdon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Trogdon.
Has Trogdon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trogdon went from 1,606 recorded bearers to 1,504. That is a decrease of 102 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,530 to #18,237.
What does the Census say about the background of Trogdon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trogdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Trogdon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (1,312 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trogdon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Trogdon (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 Trogdon mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "hill valley" or "valley path". 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 Trogdon (0.50 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 common is the surname Trogdon?
Find out how common the surname Trogdon is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.