The Estes surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 36,318 people carried this name — #956 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,120 people counted. That is up 1% from 35,839 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

61 families named Estes, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 319 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maine 14
Virginia 14
Massachusetts 10
South Carolina 6
North Carolina 5
New Hampshire 4
Rhode Island 4
New York 2
Connecticut 1
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 239 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Estes in American newspapers,
1909–1920.

Newspaper page from Richmond Daily Register carrying the name Estes
Richmond Daily Register 1920-09-25
Newspaper page from Richmond Daily Register carrying the name Estes
Richmond Daily Register 1920-08-20
Newspaper page from Baptist Courier carrying the name Estes
Baptist Courier 1909-02-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 939,899 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Estes in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1970s.

191 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Estes. The most, 39, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 52
Queensland 38
Victoria 25
South Australia 24
ACT (Canberra) 20
Western Australia 20
Tasmania 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Estes.

Who carried it

People named Estes,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lewellyn G. Estes
    Lewellyn G. Estes 1843–1905 · military officer
  • David Foster Estes
    David Foster Estes 1851–1926 · librarian
  • William R. Estes
    William R. Estes 1852–1905 · politician
  • Pat Estes
    Pat Estes 1872–1947 · American football player
  • Caroline Estes Smith
    Caroline Estes Smith 1877–1970 · music executive
  • Dana Estes 1840–1909 · editor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Estes,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,197 records

2,197 records of the Estes name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,370
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 546
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 126
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 83
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 40
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 10
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Brian Robert Estes

    Born 1948; from Whittier, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph L. Estes

    Born 1924 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1943 at Sheppard Field Witchita Falls, Texas; farm hand from Cassia County, Idaho. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Burley Cemetery, Idaho.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Moses Estes

    Arrived at New York in 1888 aboard the Moravia from Hamburg and Havre, aged 47; merchant. From Odessa, Russia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,197 records for Estes in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia8 records

8 records of the Estes name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 7
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Colvin Estes

    Left Hobart in 1852 aboard the Henry Harbeck, bound for London, as crew.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record W. S. Estes

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Jane, aged 23; American.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record W. P. Estes

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Elizabeth, aged 28.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Estes in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Estes name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Walter Dalton Estes

    Died 1970 in West Gore, Hants, Nova Scotia, aged 89.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert Estes

    Buried in 1987 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William N. Estes

    Married 1891 in Hants, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Estes name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Estes

    From Crefeld. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 17 September 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 136).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Estes.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Estes is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Estes volume
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