2000
#3,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.82
Uncommon Last name
Comstock
From Old English, referring to a dwelling or settlement near a riverbank, hillock, or hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,409 Americans carry the last name Comstock. That puts it at #3,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comstock 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
11K
1 in 30,042
Census rank
#3,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,949 bearers of the surname Comstock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comstock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comstock
The surname Comstock has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "comby" or "cumb," referring to a valley or hollow, and "stoc," meaning a place or homestead. The combination suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a homestead located within a valley or hollow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Comstock name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cumbestoc." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties throughout England, providing a valuable historical record of surnames at that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Cumbstok" and "Cumbstoke," reflecting the evolving spelling conventions of the time. During this period, the Comstock family was known to have resided in the county of Gloucestershire, particularly in the parish of Compton Abdale.
Notable individuals bearing the Comstock surname include John Comstock (1573-1644), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Dean of Chester Cathedral. Another prominent figure was Christopher Comstock (1625-1702), an early American settler and landowner in Connecticut.
In the 18th century, Henry Comstock (1703-1773) was a prominent merchant and landowner in New York, contributing significantly to the development of the region. His son, Samuel Comstock (1742-1820), was a respected farmer and community leader in the same area.
One of the most famous individuals with the Comstock surname was Theodore Dwight Comstock (1849-1923), an American entomologist and educator known for his extensive work on insect classification and his role in establishing the Cornell University College of Agriculture.
Throughout history, the Comstock name has also been associated with various place names, such as Comstock Park in Michigan and Comstock Lode, a famous silver ore discovery in Nevada, which played a significant role in the American mining industry during the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comstock
Among Census respondents with the surname Comstock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Comstock 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 Comstock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 9,038
- Two or more races4.0% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 360
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 82
- Black or African American0.4% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comstock
Comstock 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
#3,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,390
+92 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.52
Rank movement Down 245 places
2020
#3,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,949
-441 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,192 | 10,298 | 3.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,437 | 10,390 | 3.52 | +92 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 245 places |
| 2020 | #3,497 | 9,949 | 3.33 | -441 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 60 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 Comstock 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 | #3,437 | #3,497 | -1.7% |
| Count | 10,390 | 9,949 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.52 | 3.33 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comstock bearers went from 10,390 to 9,949 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,437 to #3,497.
FAQ
Comstock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comstock?
Name Census estimates that about 11,409 living Americans carry the surname Comstock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,042 residents.
How common is Comstock?
Comstock ranks #3,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,949 people with the surname Comstock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Comstock.
Has Comstock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comstock went from 10,390 recorded bearers to 9,949. That is a decrease of 441 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,437 to #3,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Comstock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comstock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Comstock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (9,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comstock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Comstock (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 Comstock mean?
From Old English, referring to a dwelling or settlement near a riverbank, hillock, 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 Comstock (3.33 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 are called Comstock?
See how common the surname Comstock is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.