2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Combel
A surname possibly derived from the French word "Combelle" referring to a small valley or hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Combel. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Combel 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Combel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Combel, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Combel
The surname "COMBEL" is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "combel," which means "small valley" or "hollow." This name was likely given to someone who lived near or in a small valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a certain Ricardus de Combel was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire, England, in 1243. This suggests that individuals with this surname had already migrated from France to England by that time.
In the late 13th century, a Robertus de Combel was listed as a landowner in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, England, in 1279. The Hundred Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not appear to contain any references to the surname "COMBEL." However, this does not preclude the possibility that individuals bearing this name were present in England during that period.
Among notable individuals with the surname "COMBEL" throughout history are:
1. Jean Combel (c. 1480-1540), a French composer and music theorist active during the Renaissance period.
2. Étienne Combel (1654-1723), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Lyon.
3. Pierre Combel (1738-1818), a French politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the National Convention during the French Revolution.
4. Marie-Thérèse Combel (1786-1856), a French writer and educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in Paris.
5. Louis Combel (1805-1880), a French botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of South America.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as "Combell" or "Combelle," may also be encountered in historical records, reflecting regional linguistic differences or transcription errors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Combel
Among Census respondents with the surname Combel, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Combel 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 Combel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 94
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Combel
Combel 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,446 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,299 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 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15,446 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 6,299 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 Combel 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 | #157,234 | #150,935 | 4.0% |
| Count | 103 | 108 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Combel bearers went from 103 to 108 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 6,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,935.
FAQ
Combel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Combel?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Combel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Combel?
Combel ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Combel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Combel.
Has Combel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Combel went from 103 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 5 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Combel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Combel, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Combel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Combel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (6.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Combel (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 Combel mean?
A surname possibly derived from the French word "Combelle" referring to a small valley or hollow. 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 Combel (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 Americans have the surname Combel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.