2000
#10,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,717
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Bump
An occupational surname for a person who raised or herded oxen, from Middle English bumpen, meaning "to boom."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,957 Americans carry the last name Bump. That puts it at #11,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,913 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bump 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
3.0K
1 in 115,913
Census rank
#11,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,579 bearers of the surname Bump in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bump, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bump
The surname Bump is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "bunce," which means a lump or protuberance. This word likely referred to a physical characteristic of the original bearer, perhaps indicating a person with a distinctive bump, hunch, or rounded shape.
The earliest known record of the surname Bump dates back to the late 12th century, with a reference to one William Bunce in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1195. Over time, the spelling evolved from Bunce to Bump, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
By the 13th century, the surname Bump had spread across various regions of England, with mentions in historical records such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire (1273) and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire (1275). These entries suggest that the name was well-established in different parts of the country.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Bump was Sir John Bump, a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the late 15th century (born around 1445, died in 1501). His family's coat of arms featured a distinctive hump or mound, potentially reinforcing the connection between the name and its original meaning.
In the 16th century, the name Bump appeared in several parish records and tax rolls, indicating its continued use among English families. One such example is Thomas Bump, a yeoman farmer from Gloucestershire, recorded in the Muster Rolls of 1542.
The 17th century saw the surname Bump spread to other parts of the British Isles, with instances documented in Scottish and Irish records. One notable bearer was Robert Bump, a Scottish merchant and shipowner from Aberdeen, who lived from 1620 to 1687.
As the British Empire expanded, the surname Bump was carried to various colonial outposts and settlements around the world. In the 18th century, records show instances of the name in North America, with individuals like Jonathan Bump, a farmer from Massachusetts (1725-1804), and William Bump, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War (born in 1755).
Throughout the 19th century, the surname Bump continued to be prevalent in England and its colonies, with individuals like Sir George Bump, a prominent British industrialist and philanthropist (1810-1892), and Emily Bump, an American educator and women's rights activist (1831-1915).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bump
Among Census respondents with the surname Bump, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bump 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 Bump surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,349
- Two or more races3.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 31
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bump
Bump 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
#11,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,708
-9 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 816 places
2020
#11,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,579
-129 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,779 | 2,717 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,595 | 2,708 | 0.92 | -9 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 816 places |
| 2020 | #11,639 | 2,579 | 0.86 | -129 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 44 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 Bump 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 | #11,595 | #11,639 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,708 | 2,579 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.86 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bump bearers went from 2,708 to 2,579 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,595 to #11,639.
FAQ
Bump surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bump?
Name Census estimates that about 2,957 living Americans carry the surname Bump. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,913 residents.
How common is Bump?
Bump ranks #11,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,579 people with the surname Bump. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,957), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Bump.
Has Bump become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bump went from 2,708 recorded bearers to 2,579. That is a decrease of 129 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,595 to #11,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bump?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bump, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bump in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bump appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bump (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 Bump mean?
An occupational surname for a person who raised or herded oxen, from Middle English bumpen, meaning "to boom." 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 Bump (0.86 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 Bump?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.