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

Combs, 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 Combs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Combs in America

Combs is the 624th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Combs surname appeared 54,257 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Combs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Combs 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 Combs

The surname Combs originated in England, derived from the Old English word "cumb," meaning a small valley or hollow between hills. It was likely an occupational name given to someone who lived in such a geographical feature. The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "de Combe," with various spellings emerging over time, including Coombe, Combe, and Combs.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Combe, who lived in Somerset, England, in the 13th century. Around the same period, the name appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where Walter de la Combe was mentioned as a landowner.

In the 14th century, the name was found in various records across England, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where John Combe was listed in 1327. Another notable bearer was William Combe, a Member of Parliament for Cirencester in 1379.

During the 16th century, the Combs surname spread across England, with several prominent individuals bearing the name. One of them was John Combe (1506-1550), a wealthy landowner and close friend of William Shakespeare. It is believed that Shakespeare may have based the character of Sir John Falstaff on Combe.

In the 17th century, Edward Combe (1613-1689) was a notable English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ludgershall and as a judge on the Western Circuit. Another notable figure was the English poet and author, William Combe (1741-1823), best known for his satirical work "The Diaboliad."

The 18th century saw the rise of Thomas Combe (1745-1823), a renowned English philosopher and writer who co-founded the Analytical Review and advocated for educational reforms. Another prominent individual was George Combe (1788-1858), a Scottish phrenologist and one of the founders of the Edinburgh Phrenological Society.

Throughout history, the Combs surname has been associated with various notable personalities across different fields, reflecting its long-standing presence and diverse origins within England and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Combs

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

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 Combs 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 Combs 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 Combs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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