Comer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Comer

An occupational surname for a person who combs wool or flax, or a topographic name for a valley.

Comer, 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 Comer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Comer in America

Comer is the 2148th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Comer surname appeared 16,893 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Comer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Comer 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2148 2001 7.09%
Count 16,893 16,619 1.64%
Proportion per 100k 5.73 6.16 -7.23%

The history of the last name Comer

The surname Comer is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "comere," meaning a godparent or a close friend of the family. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Comer can be found in England's Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "le Comere." This spelling suggests that the name was initially an occupational one, referring to a person who served as a godparent or was a close friend of a family.

In the 14th century, the name Comer appeared in various forms, such as "Commere," "Cummere," and "Comere," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Comer was John Comer, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Comer, as it primarily recorded landowners and their holdings. However, it is possible that the name's origins can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, when many French words and names were introduced into the English language.

In the 16th century, the surname Comer was found in various parts of England, including Wiltshire, Somerset, and Devon. The Subsidy Rolls of 1524 for Somerset list a John Comer, indicating the presence of the name in that region.

The name Comer has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including:

  1. William Comer (c. 1588-1663), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Hereford.
  2. Thomas Comer (c. 1650-1697), an English theologian and author of several religious works.
  3. George Comer (1742-1823), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
  4. John Comer (1770-1825), an English architect known for his work on several churches in London.
  5. Andrew Comer (1868-1937), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Avondale Mills textile company in Alabama.

While the surname Comer has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Comer

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

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 Comer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 82.57% 13,949
Non-Hispanic Black Only 12.47% 2,107
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.47% 79
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.67% 113
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.72% 291
Hispanic Origin 2.10% 355

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 Comer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 82.57% 84.25% -2.01%
Black 12.47% 12.03% 3.59%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.47% 0.45% 4.35%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.67% 0.49% 31.03%
Two or More Races 1.72% 1.30% 27.81%
Hispanic 2.10% 1.47% 35.29%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Comer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/comer-surname-popularity/.

"Comer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/comer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Comer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/comer-surname-popularity/.

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