2000
#10,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Balcom
Derived from a place name meaning "Bald Hill" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a treeless hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,842 Americans carry the last name Balcom. That puts it at #12,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balcom 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.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,603
Census rank
#12,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,478 bearers of the surname Balcom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balcom, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balcom
Among Census respondents with the surname Balcom, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Balcom 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 Balcom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 2,150
- Black or African American5.4% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 76
- Two or more races2.8% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balcom
Balcom 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
#11,804
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,652
-71 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,051 places
2020
#12,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,478
-174 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,753 | 2,723 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,804 | 2,652 | 0.90 | -71 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,051 places |
| 2020 | #12,024 | 2,478 | 0.83 | -174 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 220 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 Balcom 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 | #11,804 | #12,024 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,652 | 2,478 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balcom bearers went from 2,652 to 2,478 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 220 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,804 to #12,024.
FAQ
Balcom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balcom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,842 living Americans carry the surname Balcom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,603 residents.
How common is Balcom?
Balcom ranks #12,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,478 people with the surname Balcom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,842), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Balcom.
Has Balcom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balcom went from 2,652 recorded bearers to 2,478. That is a decrease of 174 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,804 to #12,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Balcom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balcom, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Balcom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (2,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balcom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Balcom (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 Balcom mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Bald Hill" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a treeless hill. 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 Balcom (0.83 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 Balcom?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.