2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Comier
A surname derived from the French word "comier" meaning a keeper of combs or seller of combs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Comier. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comier 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Comier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (9.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comier
The surname COMIER is believed to have originated in France, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "comier," which means "one who deals in corn or grain." This occupational name suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the trade or cultivation of grains and cereals.
The name COMIER was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany. Historical records show that it first appeared in various forms, such as Comier, Comiher, and Comiher, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name COMIER can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Savigny, a cartulary (collection of charters) from the 12th century, where a certain "Guillelmus Comier" is mentioned. Additionally, the name appears in the Testa de Nevill, a 13th-century survey of land ownership in England, indicating that some individuals with the surname COMIER had migrated to England during the Norman Conquest.
Notable individuals with the surname COMIER throughout history include:
1. Jean Comier (c. 1450-1520), a French merchant and landowner from Rouen, who played a significant role in the city's trade with England and the Netherlands.
2. Pierre Comier (1570-1638), a French playwright and poet from Normandy, known for his works in the Baroque style.
3. Étienne Comier (1628-1701), a French ecclesiastic and theologian who served as the Bishop of Avranches from 1686 until his death.
4. Marie-Thérèse Comier (1773-1847), a French noblewoman and philanthropist, renowned for her charitable works during the French Revolution.
5. Louis-Alexandre Comier (1802-1872), a French military officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to North Africa and the Middle East.
While the surname COMIER can be traced back to its occupational roots in medieval France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its historical origins remain firmly tied to the grain trade and agricultural activities of northern France in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comier
Among Census respondents with the surname Comier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (9.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Comier 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 Comier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.0% · 58
- White33.6% · 39
- Two or more races9.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comier
Comier 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
#115,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
+29 bearers (+23.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 12,914 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-36 bearers (-23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,994 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,034 | 152 | 0.05 | +29 bearers (+23.6%) | Up 12,914 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -36 bearers (-23.7%) | Down 29,994 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 Comier 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 | #115,034 | #145,028 | -26.1% |
| Count | 152 | 116 | -23.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comier bearers went from 152 to 116 (-23.7% change). The surname moved down 29,994 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,034 to #145,028.
FAQ
Comier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comier?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Comier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Comier?
Comier ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Comier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Comier.
Has Comier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comier went from 152 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 36 (-23.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #115,034 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Comier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (9.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Comier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.0%), White (33.6%), Two or More Races (9.5%). 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 Comier (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 Comier mean?
A surname derived from the French word "comier" meaning a keeper of combs or seller of combs. 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 Comier (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 have the last name Comier?
Find out how many people have the surname Comier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.