Explore the Family Name Acorn

The meaning of Acorn

1. Americanized form of German Eichhorn or of its rare variant Eichorn. 2. Native American (Cherokee): translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name based on the Cherokee word gule ‘acorn’ (fruit of the oak). 3. African American: possibly of Native American origin (see 2 above). History: Matthias Eichorn, married in Göbrichen, Baden-Württemberg, in 1733, came to North America, where he is recorded as Matthias Acorn, and died in Waldoboro, ME, in 1777.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Acorn in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Acorn has seen a slight decline in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 65,862 and by 2010, it dropped to the 68,770th position, marking a decrease of approximately 4.42%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Acorn surname subtly increased from 281 in 2000 to 286 in 2010, showing a growth of 1.78%.

20002010Change
Rank#65,862#68,770-4.42%
Count2812861.78%
Proportion per 100k0.10.10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Acorn

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that there was no recorded change from 2000 to 2010 among individuals with the Acorn surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or with two or more races. On the other hand, the percentage of individuals identifying as White saw a minor increase of 0.97%, going from 77.22% to 77.97%. The Hispanic representation among Acorns also increased by 10.54%, moving from 5.69% to 6.29%. However, those identifying as Black decreased by 14.05%, dropping from 8.54% to 7.34%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category also dipped slightly by 1.87%, from 5.34% to 5.24%.

20002010Change
White77.22%77.97%0.97%
Black8.54%7.34%-14.05%
Hispanic5.69%6.29%10.54%
American Indian and Alaskan Native5.34%5.24%-1.87%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%