2000
#1,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.46
Uncommon Last name
Urban
Derived from a place name or a topographic name for someone who lived in a city or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,827 Americans carry the last name Urban. That puts it at #1,851 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urban 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 Urban with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,703
Census rank
#1,851
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,034 bearers of the surname Urban in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1851st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urban, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urban
The surname Urban is of German origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "urbanus," meaning "of the city" or "courteous and polished." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in a town or city, or who displayed urban manners and sophistication.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in medieval German records and manuscripts. In the 13th century, the name was mentioned in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of documents related to the history of Saxony. The name was also found in the Bairische Stammtafeln, a genealogical record of Bavarian families from the 14th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Henricus Urban, a German cleric who lived in the 13th century and served as the Bishop of Bamberg from 1242 to 1245. Another notable figure was Urban Wyss (c. 1420-1499), a Swiss scholar and humanist who taught at the University of Basel.
In the 16th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including Urban Rhegius (1489-1541), a German Lutheran reformer and theologian, and Urban of Gellhausen (c. 1540-1616), a German Catholic priest and composer.
During the 17th century, the name gained prominence in various parts of Europe. One notable bearer was Urban Hiärne (1641-1722), a Swedish naturalist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of anatomy and zoology. Another was Urban Grandier (1590-1634), a French Catholic priest who was famously accused and executed for witchcraft.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. Urban Jarnac (1742-1813) was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, while Urban Bruun Aaskow (1742-1806) was a Danish naval officer and cartographer who produced many important maritime charts.
As the name spread across Europe and beyond, it continued to be borne by individuals of note. In the 19th century, Urban Le Verrier (1811-1877) was a French mathematician and astronomer who is credited with predicting the existence of the planet Neptune based on mathematical calculations. Urban Oettinger (1823-1866) was a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the surname Urban throughout history. The name has endured for centuries and continues to be carried by people of diverse backgrounds and accomplishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urban
Among Census respondents with the surname Urban, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Urban 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 Urban surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 17,014
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 1,174
- Two or more races2.6% · 497
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 200
- Black or African American0.5% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urban
Urban 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
#1,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,058
-59 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 6.80
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#1,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,034
-1,024 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 6.37
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,630 | 20,117 | 7.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,790 | 20,058 | 6.80 | -59 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #1,851 | 19,034 | 6.37 | -1,024 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 61 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 Urban 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 | #1,790 | #1,851 | -3.4% |
| Count | 20,058 | 19,034 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.80 | 6.37 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urban bearers went from 20,058 to 19,034 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,790 to #1,851.
FAQ
Urban surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urban?
Name Census estimates that about 21,827 living Americans carry the surname Urban. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,703 residents.
How common is Urban?
Urban ranks #1,851 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,034 people with the surname Urban. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,827), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Urban.
Has Urban become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urban went from 20,058 recorded bearers to 19,034. That is a decrease of 1,024 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,790 to #1,851.
What does the Census say about the background of Urban?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urban, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Urban in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (17,014 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urban appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Urban (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 Urban mean?
Derived from a place name or a topographic name for someone who lived in a city or town. 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 Urban (6.37 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 Urban?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.