2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Comyns
A Norman French surname referring to a resident of Comines, a town in northern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Comyns. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comyns 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Comyns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comyns, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comyns
The surname Comyns originated from the Anglo-Norman French language and is derived from the Old French word "comyn", meaning "common" or "shared". It is believed to have been a nickname initially used to refer to individuals who lived on communal lands or shared resources.
The Comyns surname can be traced back to the 12th century in England and Scotland. One of the earliest recorded references to this name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1166, which mention a William Comyn. The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1291-1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.
In Scotland, the Comyns were a powerful noble family that held significant influence during the 13th and 14th centuries. They were rivals of the Bruces and played a crucial role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. One notable member was John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (1215-1300), who was a prominent figure in Scottish politics and a claimant to the Scottish throne.
Another important individual bearing this surname was Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith (c. 1230-1258), a Scottish nobleman who was a key ally of King Alexander III of Scotland. He was involved in negotiations with King Henry III of England and played a vital role in the affairs of the Scottish kingdom.
In England, the Comyns were also a prominent family, particularly in the northern counties. Sir John Comyn (c. 1294-1314) was a notable knight who fought alongside King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where he was captured by the Scottish forces.
The surname Comyns has also been associated with various place names, such as Comyn's Canting in Northumberland and Comyn's Hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. These locations were likely named after individuals bearing the Comyns surname who resided or held lands in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the Comyns surname include William Comyn (c. 1163-1233), an English clergyman who served as Bishop of Durham, and Robert Comyn (c. 1245-1304), a Scottish nobleman who was part of the Great Cause, a prestigious gathering of Scottish nobles tasked with determining the legitimate heir to the Scottish throne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comyns
Among Census respondents with the surname Comyns, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Comyns 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 Comyns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comyns
Comyns 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+9 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,001 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 Comyns 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 | #145,220 | #147,221 | -1.4% |
| Count | 114 | 113 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comyns bearers went from 114 to 113 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,221.
FAQ
Comyns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comyns?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Comyns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Comyns?
Comyns ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Comyns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Comyns.
Has Comyns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comyns went from 114 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Comyns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comyns, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Comyns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comyns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Comyns (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 Comyns mean?
A Norman French surname referring to a resident of Comines, a town in northern France. 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 Comyns (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 common is the surname Comyns?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Comyns at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.