2000
#9,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Utterback
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "outer stream" or "outer ridge" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,321 Americans carry the last name Utterback. That puts it at #10,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Utterback 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
3.3K
1 in 103,208
Census rank
#10,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,896 bearers of the surname Utterback in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Utterback, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Utterback
The surname Utterback is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Utherback or Utherbach, located in the county of Lancashire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "ütter" meaning "outer" and "bæc" meaning "back or ridge," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname resided on the outskirts or outer regions of a settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Utterback surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a certain Richard de Utherbach is mentioned. This historical document provides valuable insight into the taxation records of the time and serves as evidence of the surname's existence in medieval England.
In the 16th century, the Utterback surname appeared in various court records and parish registers across Lancashire and nearby counties. Notable individuals bearing this name include John Utterback, a landowner from Walton-le-Dale, who was recorded in the Lancashire Wills and Inventories of 1578.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the surname evolved, with variations such as Utterbacke, Utterback, and Utterbach appearing in different regions. One prominent figure from this era was William Utterback, a renowned horticulturist born in 1735 in Yorkshire. He contributed significantly to the advancement of gardening techniques and was widely respected in his field.
In the late 18th century, the Utterback surname found its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Samuel Utterback, who settled in Virginia in 1773. He was a farmer and played an active role in the local community.
During the 19th century, the Utterback family continued to establish roots in various parts of the United States. Notable individuals included Isaac Utterback (1804-1886), a prominent businessman and landowner in Ohio, and Amos Utterback (1827-1903), a Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army and later became a respected farmer in Indiana.
As the Utterback surname spread across different regions, its spelling variations became more diverse, including Utterbach, Utterback, and Utterberg, among others. Despite these variations, the name's historical significance and connection to its English origins remained intact.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Utterback
Among Census respondents with the surname Utterback, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Utterback 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 Utterback surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 2,618
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 106
- Two or more races3.3% · 95
- Black or African American1.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Utterback
Utterback 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
#10,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,125
+74 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 531 places
2020
#10,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,896
-229 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,779 | 3,051 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,310 | 3,125 | 1.06 | +74 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 531 places |
| 2020 | #10,571 | 2,896 | 0.97 | -229 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 261 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 Utterback 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 | #10,310 | #10,571 | -2.5% |
| Count | 3,125 | 2,896 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.97 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Utterback bearers went from 3,125 to 2,896 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,310 to #10,571.
FAQ
Utterback surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Utterback?
Name Census estimates that about 3,321 living Americans carry the surname Utterback. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,208 residents.
How common is Utterback?
Utterback ranks #10,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,896 people with the surname Utterback. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Utterback.
Has Utterback become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Utterback went from 3,125 recorded bearers to 2,896. That is a decrease of 229 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,310 to #10,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Utterback?
Among Census respondents with the surname Utterback, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Utterback in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (2,618 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Utterback appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Utterback (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 Utterback mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "outer stream" or "outer ridge" in Old English. 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 Utterback (0.97 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 Utterback?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Utterback at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.