2000
#15,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Upson
A locational surname derived from a place name in England, originally referring to someone from Upson or Upston.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,940 Americans carry the last name Upson. That puts it at #16,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 176,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Upson 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 Upson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 176,677
Census rank
#16,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,692 bearers of the surname Upson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Upson, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Upson
The surname Upson has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "uppe" meaning "upper" and "sunu" meaning "son," suggesting that the name initially referred to someone who lived or worked in an elevated area or on higher ground.
One of the earliest known references to the name Upson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire, a historical record of financial accounts, in 1195, where a person named Willelmus filius Uppeson was listed. This entry provides evidence of the name's existence during the late 12th century.
The Upson surname is also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like survey conducted in 1273, where a person named John Uppesone is recorded. This document serves as a valuable source for understanding the distribution of surnames in medieval England.
During the 13th century, the name Upson appeared in various forms, including Uppessone, Uppsone, and Upsun, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in that era. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices.
In the 14th century, the Upson surname was found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, a taxation record from 1327, where a person named Ricardus Uppeson was listed. This entry suggests the name's presence in different parts of England during that time.
One notable individual bearing the Upson surname was William Upson (1510-1568), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His political career and involvement in local affairs attest to the prominence of the Upson family in that region.
Another historical figure was Thomas Upson (1635-1707), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Sambourne in Warwickshire. He is known for his theological writings and contributions to the religious discourse of his time.
In the 18th century, John Upson (1721-1803) was a prominent English clockmaker based in Wolverhampton. His clocks and timepieces were highly regarded, and some of them are preserved in museums and private collections today.
The Upson surname also made its way across the Atlantic, with notable individuals such as Benjamin Upson (1766-1835), an early American settler and farmer who played a role in the development of the town of Wolcott, Connecticut.
In the 19th century, Anson Judd Upson (1823-1904) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, and Civil War veteran from New York. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was actively involved in various legal and political matters during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Upson
Among Census respondents with the surname Upson, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Upson 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 Upson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 1,163
- Black or African American22.8% · 385
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 65
- Two or more races3.8% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Upson
Upson 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
#16,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,782
+60 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 620 places
2020
#16,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,692
-90 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 281 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,583 | 1,722 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,203 | 1,782 | 0.60 | +60 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 620 places |
| 2020 | #16,484 | 1,692 | 0.57 | -90 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 281 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 Upson 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 | #16,203 | #16,484 | -1.7% |
| Count | 1,782 | 1,692 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.57 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Upson bearers went from 1,782 to 1,692 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 281 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,203 to #16,484.
FAQ
Upson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Upson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,940 living Americans carry the surname Upson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 176,677 residents.
How common is Upson?
Upson ranks #16,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,692 people with the surname Upson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Upson.
Has Upson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Upson went from 1,782 recorded bearers to 1,692. That is a decrease of 90 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,203 to #16,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Upson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Upson, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Upson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (1,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Upson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (22.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Upson (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 Upson mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in England, originally referring to someone from Upson or Upston. 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 Upson (0.57 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 Upson?
See how many Americans have the surname Upson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.