2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bomberry
An anglicised form of the German surname Baumberger referring to someone from Baumberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bomberry. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bomberry 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bomberry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bomberry, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 40.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Two or More Races (15.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bomberry
The surname Bomberry has its origins in England, with its earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bom" and "bury," which collectively meant "a small hill or mound." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or on a small hill or raised ground.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus de Bombury is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Bombury," further reinforces the connection to the Old English word "bury" and its association with a place name.
The Bomberry surname also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, the name is recorded as "Bomebergh," another variation that reflects the name's origins as a place name.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name has evolved, with variations such as Bomberey, Bombrey, and Bombury appearing in historical records. In the 16th century, a notable individual bearing this surname was John Bomberry, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1520 to 1588.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Bomberry, a member of the English gentry who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of Parliament for the county of Warwickshire.
In the 17th century, the Bomberry family had established themselves as landowners and influential figures in various parts of England. One such individual was William Bomberry, born in 1625, who was a wealthy landowner and magistrate in the county of Oxfordshire.
Moving into the 18th century, the name appears in various parish records and historical documents, indicating its continued presence across different regions of England. A notable example is that of Robert Bomberry, born in 1712, who was a successful merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 19th century, the Bomberry surname gained further recognition with the achievements of individuals like Sir George Bomberry, born in 1818, who was a decorated military officer and served in the British Army during the Crimean War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bomberry
Among Census respondents with the surname Bomberry, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 40.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Two or More Races (15.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bomberry 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 Bomberry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native40.4% · 46
- White32.5% · 37
- Two or more races15.8% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bomberry
Bomberry 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+28 bearers (+25.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 15,770 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-22 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +28 bearers (+25.9%) | Up 15,770 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 20,477 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 Bomberry 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 | #126,018 | #146,495 | -16.2% |
| Count | 136 | 114 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bomberry bearers went from 136 to 114 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 20,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bomberry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bomberry?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bomberry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bomberry?
Bomberry ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Bomberry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bomberry.
Has Bomberry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bomberry went from 136 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bomberry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bomberry, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 40.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Two or More Races (15.8%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bomberry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.4% (46 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bomberry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (40.4%), White (32.5%), Two or More Races (15.8%). 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 Bomberry (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 Bomberry mean?
An anglicised form of the German surname Baumberger referring to someone from Baumberg. 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 Bomberry (0.04 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 share the surname Bomberry?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.