Explore the Family Name Urness

The meaning of Urness

Norwegian: old variant of Urnes (and, in North America, probably also an altered form of this), a habitational name from any of several farmsteads so named, most of them from Old Norse urth ‘scree, rock-strewn slope’ + nes ‘promontory, headland’. In Sogn, the farm name is Ornes, denoting a farmstead on or near a jutting headland, first element a preposition ór ‘out of’. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Bernt, Erik, Nels, Thor.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Urness has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Urness was ranked as the 32,703rd most popular surname in the United States, with 662 individuals bearing this name. By 2010, it had slipped to the 35,147th position, with a count of 641. This represents a drop in rank of approximately 7.47%, and a decrease in the total count by around 3.17%. The proportion of individuals with the Urness surname per 100,000 US residents also fell from 0.25 to 0.22 during this period, marking a decrease of 12%.

20002010Change
Rank#32,703#35,147-7.47%
Count662641-3.17%
Proportion per 100k0.250.22-12%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Urness

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Urness, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that it is predominantly linked with individuals identifying as White. In both 2000 and 2010, over 95% of individuals with this surname identified as White, seeing a negligible change of 0.01% over the decade. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic increased from 1.96% in 2000 to 2.81% in 2010, indicating a growth of 43.37%. In 2010, there were also instances of individuals with the Urness surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, which was not the case in 2000. However, no individuals with the Urness surname identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White95.47%95.48%0.01%
Hispanic1.96%2.81%43.37%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.78%0%
Two or More Races1.66%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%