2000
#6,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,910
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Ussery
An English occupational surname for someone who bred horses or kept a stable.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,399 Americans carry the last name Ussery. That puts it at #6,874 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ussery 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.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,485
Census rank
#6,874
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,708 bearers of the surname Ussery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6874th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ussery, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ussery
The surname "USSERY" has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "yser," which means "iron," or from the place name "Husser" or "Usser" in Kent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it appears as "Ussere." This suggests that individuals bearing this surname might have been involved in the iron industry or may have hailed from a place associated with iron production.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Ussher," "Usser," and "Uscher," in various records and manuscripts. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the name was James Ussher (1581-1656), an Irish Anglican bishop and scholar known for his work on biblical chronology. He calculated the date of creation as October 23, 4004 BC, which became widely accepted in the 17th century.
Another prominent figure was Ralph Ussher (1613-1673), an Irish lawyer and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was also associated with the town of Crondall in Hampshire, where the Ussher family held land and properties. The family's influence in the area led to the naming of various places, such as Ussher's Green and Ussher's Farm.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was John Ussery, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, "USSERY."
Other notable individuals with the surname include William Ussery (1713-1781), a British naval officer and explorer, and Thomas Ussery (1780-1848), an American politician and soldier who served in the War of 1812.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ussery
Among Census respondents with the surname Ussery, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ussery 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 Ussery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 3,376
- Black or African American19.4% · 912
- Two or more races4.2% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 168
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ussery
Ussery 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
#6,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,036
+126 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#6,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,708
-328 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,384 | 4,910 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,708 | 5,036 | 1.71 | +126 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #6,874 | 4,708 | 1.58 | -328 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 166 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 Ussery 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 | #6,708 | #6,874 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,036 | 4,708 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.58 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ussery bearers went from 5,036 to 4,708 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,708 to #6,874.
FAQ
Ussery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ussery?
Name Census estimates that about 5,399 living Americans carry the surname Ussery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,485 residents.
How common is Ussery?
Ussery ranks #6,874 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 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 4,708 people with the surname Ussery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,399), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 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 Ussery.
Has Ussery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ussery went from 5,036 recorded bearers to 4,708. That is a decrease of 328 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,708 to #6,874.
What does the Census say about the background of Ussery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ussery, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ussery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (3,376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ussery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (19.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ussery (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 Ussery mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who bred horses or kept a stable. 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 Ussery (1.58 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 Ussery?
Find out how many people have the last name Ussery on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.