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

Upchurch, 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 Upchurch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Upchurch in America

Upchurch is the 3587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Upchurch surname appeared 9,922 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Upchurch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Upchurch 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 Upchurch

The surname Upchurch originated in England, specifically in the county of Kent. It can be traced back to the 13th century and is derived from the Old English words "upp" meaning "upper" and "cirice" meaning "church." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked at an upper or higher church.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Kent, a legal document from 1292, which mentions a person named John de Upchurche. The spelling variations during this time included Upchirche, Upchurche, and Upechurche.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls for Kent, which were tax records. A certain William Upchurch was listed as a taxpayer in 1327. The spelling had evolved closer to the modern form by this point.

The Upchurch surname is also associated with several place names in Kent, such as Upper Church, a hamlet near Shorne, and Upchurch, a village near Sittingbourne. These place names likely contributed to the adoption of the surname by local residents.

Notable individuals with the Upchurch surname include:

1. John Upchurch (c. 1480 - c. 1540), an English merchant and influential figure in the city of Bristol.
2. Richard Upchurch (1530 - 1608), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Canterbury from 1589 to 1608.
3. Thomas Upchurch (1670 - 1736), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several churches and buildings in London.
4. William Upchurch (1786 - 1859), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Rutland from 1837 to 1841.
5. Robert Upchurch (1828 - 1897), an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1879 to 1881.

While the Upchurch surname has its roots in Kent, it has since spread to other parts of England and beyond, with descendants bearing the name found in various parts of the world today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Upchurch

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

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 Upchurch 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 Upchurch 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 Upchurch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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