Explore the Family Name Trench
The meaning of Trench
1. English and Scottish: from Middle English trench ‘path cut through woods; cutting or ditch’ (Old French trenche, a derivative of trenchier ‘to cut, hack, slice’). The surname may be topographic, for someone who lived by a path or ditch, or habitational, from a place so named, such as Trench Lane in Huddington (Worcestershire), Trench in Ellesmere (Shropshire), or The Trench in Hildenborough (Kent). It may perhaps also be a nickname for someone who cut ditches. 2. Irish (of French origin): habitational name from La Tranche (Poitou). History: The Trench family that hold the Irish earldom of Clancarty trace their descent from Frederic de la Tranche, who settled in Northumbria from France c.1575. They became established in Ireland in the 17th century, when Frederick Trench went there and purchased an estate in Galway in 1631.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Trench in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Trench has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 36,421st in 2000, it slipped to 39,281st in 2010, representing a drop of 7.85%. The number of people carrying the Trench surname also experienced a marginal decline, with a count of 580 in 2000 reducing to 560 in 2010, a change of -3.45%. This resulted in the proportion per 100,000 people falling by 13.64% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36,421 | #39,281 | -7.85% |
| Count | 580 | 560 | -3.45% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.22 | 0.19 | -13.64% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Trench
Turning to the ethnicity associated with the surname Trench, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census, there was minimal change recorded between 2000 and 2010. Individuals identifying as White made up the majority of those with this surname, constituting around 73% in both years. Those identifying as Black represented the second-largest group, although their proportion slightly decreased from 22.07% in 2000 to 21.79% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic showed a small decrease from 3.62% to 3.57%. There were no individuals with the Trench surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or as belonging to two or more races in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 73.28% | 73.39% | 0.15% |
| Black | 22.07% | 21.79% | -1.27% |
| Hispanic | 3.62% | 3.57% | -1.38% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |