2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ursell
A surname meaning either "bear" from the Latin ursus or an English variant spelling of Russell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ursell. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ursell 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 Ursell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ursell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ursell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ursell
The surname Ursell has its roots in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word 'urse', meaning a bear. This name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was considered strong or fierce like a bear.
One of the earliest known recorded instances of the name Ursell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where a person named Ursellus is mentioned. It is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as 'Ursell'.
The name Ursell has been associated with various places in England. For example, Ursell's Green in Oxfordshire and Ursell's Farm in Somerset. These places may have been named after individuals bearing the surname Ursell, further highlighting the historical presence of this name in various regions of the country.
One notable individual with the surname Ursell was William Ursell (c. 1550-1608), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle in 1597. Another prominent figure was John Ursell (1688-1766), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the 18th century.
In the realm of science, Robert Ursell (1903-1982) was a distinguished British mathematician and physicist. He made significant contributions to the study of wave theory and fluid dynamics. His work on the propagation of waves in fluids of finite depth is widely recognized.
Another individual worth mentioning is Sir John Ursell (1878-1957), a British businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of the J. Ursell & Co. Ltd, a successful engineering company, and was also involved in various charitable endeavors.
The surname Ursell has also been associated with the arts. For example, Henry Ursell (1809-1878) was an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes and coastal landscapes in the 19th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Ursell has been found across various regions of England, with variations in spelling such as Ursill, Ursill, and Urssill. While the name may have originated as a nickname, it has evolved into a well-established surname with a rich historical presence in English records and notable individuals bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ursell
Among Census respondents with the surname Ursell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ursell 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 Ursell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ursell
Ursell appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,867 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,867 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 Ursell 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 | #151,532 | #148,665 | 1.9% |
| Count | 108 | 111 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ursell bearers went from 108 to 111 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,867 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ursell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ursell?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ursell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ursell?
Ursell ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Ursell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ursell.
Has Ursell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ursell went from 108 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ursell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ursell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ursell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ursell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ursell (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 Ursell mean?
A surname meaning either "bear" from the Latin ursus or an English variant spelling of Russell. 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 Ursell (0.04 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 last name Ursell?
Want to know how many people are called Ursell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.