2000
#2,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,569
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.66
Uncommon Last name
Trout
An English occupational surname for a fisherman or fish seller, derived from the freshwater fish species.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,800 Americans carry the last name Trout. That puts it at #2,920 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trout 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Trout with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,837
Census rank
#2,920
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,034 bearers of the surname Trout in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2920th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trout, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trout
The surname Trout is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "truht" or "trohte," meaning a small stream or river. It is believed to have originated in England, likely in areas where there were numerous small streams or rivers, such as in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Worcestershire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Truhte." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including "Trought," "Trowte," and "Trouthe." These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Trout was John Trout, a prominent merchant from the city of Bristol. He was recorded as having traded in wool and other goods with merchants from the Netherlands and Flanders.
Another early example of the name can be found in the 15th century, when a Robert Trout was documented as a landowner in the village of Chadlington, Oxfordshire.
During the 16th century, the surname Trout gained more prominence, with several members of the family holding positions of importance. One such individual was Sir Thomas Trout, who was born in 1530 and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Marlborough during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name Trout was associated with a place called Trout's Hill in the county of Dorset. This location likely derived its name from a family of Trouts who resided there or owned land in the area.
One of the most notable figures with the surname Trout was Benjamin Trout, a renowned English painter born in 1699. He is best known for his portraits and landscapes, which were highly sought after by the aristocracy of his time.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Trout surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with families residing in counties such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset.
In the 20th century, the name gained international recognition with the success of the American author, Oprah Winfrey's book club selection, and subsequent film adaptation of the novel "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean, which featured the character Norman Maclean and his love of fly fishing for trout.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trout
Among Census respondents with the surname Trout, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Trout 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 Trout surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 10,733
- Two or more races4.5% · 541
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 393
- Black or African American1.7% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trout
Trout 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
#2,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,758
+189 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 4.33
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#2,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,034
-724 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 4.03
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,642 | 12,569 | 4.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,826 | 12,758 | 4.33 | +189 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #2,920 | 12,034 | 4.03 | -724 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 94 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 Trout 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 | #2,826 | #2,920 | -3.3% |
| Count | 12,758 | 12,034 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.33 | 4.03 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trout bearers went from 12,758 to 12,034 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,826 to #2,920.
FAQ
Trout surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trout?
Name Census estimates that about 13,800 living Americans carry the surname Trout. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,837 residents.
How common is Trout?
Trout ranks #2,920 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,034 people with the surname Trout. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Trout.
Has Trout become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trout went from 12,758 recorded bearers to 12,034. That is a decrease of 724 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,826 to #2,920.
What does the Census say about the background of Trout?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trout, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Trout in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (10,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trout appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Trout (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 Trout mean?
An English occupational surname for a fisherman or fish seller, derived from the freshwater fish species. 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 Trout (4.03 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 Trout?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.