2000
#7,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Urquhart
From the Gaelic "Airchart," meaning a high place or portion of land jutting into the sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,983 Americans carry the last name Urquhart. That puts it at #7,397 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urquhart 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 Urquhart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,785
Census rank
#7,397
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,345 bearers of the surname Urquhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7397th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urquhart
The surname Urquhart originated in Scotland, specifically in the Moray region, where the name is derived from the Gaelic words 'ur' meaning 'new' and 'cath' meaning 'fort' or 'battlefield'. The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, referring to a new fortification or settlement established after a battle.
The surname Urquhart can be traced back to the 12th century, with records of the Urquhart family holding lands in the area that became known as Urquhart Castle, near Loch Ness. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a charter from the reign of King Alexander II of Scotland, dated around 1226, which mentions Adam de Urquhart.
The Urquhart family played a significant role in Scottish history, with members serving as knights, clergymen, and military leaders. In the 14th century, Sir Thomas Urquhart was a prominent figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence, fighting alongside Robert the Bruce against the English.
In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty (1611-1660) was a renowned Scottish writer and translator, best known for his work "The Jewel", a translation of the works of the French philosopher Rabelais. He was also involved in the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Urquhart (1841-1919), a Scottish politician and Member of Parliament for the Moray and Nairn constituency. He served as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and was later appointed to the Privy Council.
Other historical figures with the surname Urquhart include Robert Urquhart (1677-1741), a Scottish Episcopal bishop and historian, and John Urquhart (1820-1889), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Senate of Canada.
Throughout history, the surname Urquhart has been recorded with various spellings, such as Urchard, Urquard, and Urquert, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations. The name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Urquhart Bay and Urquhart Glen, further solidifying its Scottish roots and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urquhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Urquhart 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 Urquhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 3,066
- Black or African American20.6% · 893
- Two or more races4.1% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urquhart
Urquhart 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
#7,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,385
+222 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#7,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,345
-40 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,381 | 4,163 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,578 | 4,385 | 1.49 | +222 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #7,397 | 4,345 | 1.45 | -40 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 181 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 Urquhart 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 | #7,578 | #7,397 | 2.4% |
| Count | 4,385 | 4,345 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.45 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urquhart bearers went from 4,385 to 4,345 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,578 to #7,397.
FAQ
Urquhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urquhart?
Name Census estimates that about 4,983 living Americans carry the surname Urquhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,785 residents.
How common is Urquhart?
Urquhart ranks #7,397 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,345 people with the surname Urquhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,983), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Urquhart.
Has Urquhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urquhart went from 4,385 recorded bearers to 4,345. That is a decrease of 40 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,578 to #7,397.
What does the Census say about the background of Urquhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Urquhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (3,066 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urquhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (20.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Urquhart (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 Urquhart mean?
From the Gaelic "Airchart," meaning a high place or portion of land jutting into the sea. 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 Urquhart (1.45 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 Urquhart?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.