2000
#67,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Acomb
Derived from a place name meaning "oak valley" in Old English, referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 298 Americans carry the last name Acomb. That puts it at #79,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,150,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Acomb 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Acomb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
298
1 in 1,150,182
Census rank
#79,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
260
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 260 bearers of the surname Acomb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Acomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Acomb
The surname ACOMB is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated from the village of Acomb near York, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Acun" and "Acum." The name is derived from the Old English words "ac" meaning oak and "cumb" meaning valley, thus suggesting that the initial bearers of this surname may have resided in or near an oak-filled valley.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the ACOMB surname can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a Richard de Acome is listed. This indicates that the name had already begun to evolve from its place-name origins by the 14th century. Another early reference is from the Durham Priory Bursar's Accounts of 1384, which mentions a Thomas Acombe.
In the 16th century, the ACOMB surname appeared in various spellings, such as Acombe, Accombe, and Ackcombe, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. One notable bearer of the name during this period was John Acomb, a yeoman farmer from Yorkshire, who was born around 1540 and died in 1612.
During the 17th century, the ACOMB surname continued to be prevalent in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Durham. One notable figure from this era was William Acomb, a merchant and alderman of the city of York, who lived from 1620 to 1685.
As the centuries progressed, the ACOMB surname spread to other parts of England and beyond. In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Thomas Acomb, a prominent merchant from London, who was born in 1725 and died in 1793.
In the 19th century, the ACOMB surname gained further recognition with the achievements of individuals such as Sir John Acomb (1795-1868), a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions, and Robert Acomb (1820-1892), a renowned architect who designed numerous public buildings in England.
Throughout its history, the ACOMB surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, military personnel, and professionals. While its origins can be traced back to a specific location in Yorkshire, the name has since spread across England and beyond, reflecting the mobility and diversity of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acomb
Among Census respondents with the surname Acomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Acomb 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 Acomb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 243
- Two or more races3.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Acomb
Acomb 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
#67,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 292
+18 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#79,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 260
-32 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 11,599 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,317 | 274 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,519 | 292 | 0.10 | +18 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #79,118 | 260 | 0.09 | -32 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 11,599 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 Acomb 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 | #67,519 | #79,118 | -17.2% |
| Count | 292 | 260 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Acomb bearers went from 292 to 260 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 11,599 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,519 to #79,118.
FAQ
Acomb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Acomb?
Name Census estimates that about 298 living Americans carry the surname Acomb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,150,182 residents.
How common is Acomb?
Acomb ranks #79,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 260 people with the surname Acomb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Acomb.
Has Acomb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Acomb went from 292 recorded bearers to 260. That is a decrease of 32 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,519 to #79,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Acomb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Acomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Acomb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Acomb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Acomb (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 Acomb mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "oak valley" in Old English, referring to someone who lived there. 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 Acomb (0.09 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 surname Acomb?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.