Find out how popular the last name Balcom is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Balcom.

Balcom, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Balcom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balcom in America

Balcom is the 11804th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balcom surname appeared 2,652 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Balcom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Balcom to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Balcom

The surname Balcom has its origins in the medieval period and is believed to have derived from a place name in England. It is likely a locational surname, meaning that it was originally taken by someone who lived in or came from a place called Balcom or a similar-sounding name.

One possible origin of the name is from the Old English words "balu" and "cumb," which together mean "bare or bald valley." This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular geographical location with a valley that had little vegetation.

Another potential source is the Old English word "balca," which means "ridge" or "bank," combined with the word "cumb" for valley. This could indicate that the name originated from a place characterized by a ridge or bank overlooking a valley.

The earliest known record of the surname Balcom dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Balchehom" in the county of Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Balcomb" and "Balcombe," in records from Essex and Sussex counties. These variations likely reflect regional pronunciations and spelling conventions of the time.

One notable individual with the Balcom surname was Sir Robert Balcom, a knight who lived in the 14th century and served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Records indicate that he participated in several campaigns against the French.

Another early bearer of the name was John Balcom, born in 1487 in Somerset, England. He was a wealthy landowner and served as a member of the local gentry.

In the 16th century, the Balcom family had established a presence in the county of Devon, where they owned estates and land holdings. Thomas Balcom, born in 1532, was a prominent figure in the region and held various civic positions.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Richard Balcom, born in 1612 in Oxfordshire, fought on the Parliamentarian side against the Royalists. He was noted for his bravery in several battles.

The name Balcom also appears in the records of early American settlers. One of the earliest instances is that of William Balcom, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635 and established a farm in the colony.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balcom

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Balcom.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Balcom was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Balcom has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Balcom was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Balcom, please contact us.

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