2000
#4,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.64
Rare Last name
Usher
An occupational surname referring to a doorkeeper or attendant in a court of law.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,396 Americans carry the last name Usher. That puts it at #4,697 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,824 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Usher 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 Usher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,824
Census rank
#4,697
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,322 bearers of the surname Usher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4697th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Usher, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Usher
The surname Usher is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'usser' or 'ussher', which referred to an officer or attendant in a court or household. The name first emerged in the 11th century and was initially an occupational surname for someone who performed the duties of an usher or doorkeeper.
Usher is believed to have roots in the Anglo-Norman French word 'huissier', which also means a doorkeeper or attendant. This French word, in turn, is derived from the Latin word 'ostiarius', meaning a doorkeeper or porter. The earliest recorded spelling of the name in England is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Osser' and 'Ussher'.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hamo le Usser, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176. Another early record is Robertus le Ussher, found in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.
The Usher surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent figures was James Usher (1580-1656), an Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, who was a renowned scholar and theologian.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Usher (1594-1626), an English explorer and navigator who was involved in the early colonization efforts in North America. He is credited with surveying and mapping the New England coast and played a role in the founding of the colony of Massachusetts Bay.
In the literary world, James Usher (1720-1772) was an Irish dramatist and playwright known for his comedies and satires, while Clarence Usher (1878-1941) was an American historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the American frontier.
The name Usher has also been associated with several places, such as Usher's Island in Dublin, Ireland, and the town of Ushers Ferry, Virginia, named after a ferry operated by members of the Usher family in the 18th century.
Over the centuries, the Usher surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Usher, Ussher, Uscher, and Ushers, among others. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its connection to its occupational origins and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Usher
Among Census respondents with the surname Usher, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Usher 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 Usher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 4,643
- Black or African American27.0% · 1,980
- Two or more races4.4% · 319
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 287
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Usher
Usher 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
#4,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,477
+359 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#4,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,322
-155 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,572 | 7,118 | 2.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,742 | 7,477 | 2.53 | +359 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #4,697 | 7,322 | 2.45 | -155 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 45 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 Usher 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 | #4,742 | #4,697 | 0.9% |
| Count | 7,477 | 7,322 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.53 | 2.45 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Usher bearers went from 7,477 to 7,322 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,742 to #4,697.
FAQ
Usher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Usher?
Name Census estimates that about 8,396 living Americans carry the surname Usher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,824 residents.
How common is Usher?
Usher ranks #4,697 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,322 people with the surname Usher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Usher.
Has Usher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Usher went from 7,477 recorded bearers to 7,322. That is a decrease of 155 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,742 to #4,697.
What does the Census say about the background of Usher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Usher, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Usher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (4,643 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Usher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (27.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Usher (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 Usher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a doorkeeper or attendant in a court of law. 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 Usher (2.45 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 are called Usher?
If you just want to know how many people are called Usher, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.