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

Coombe, 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 Coombe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coombe in America

Coombe is the 29064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coombe surname appeared 816 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Coombe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coombe 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 Coombe

The surname Coombe is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'cumb' or 'cumb', meaning a valley or a small valley between hills. This surname likely emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name resided in or near such a valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Coombe can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'de Combe'. This entry suggests that the name was already established in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname Coombe was recorded in various forms, including 'atte Combe' and 'de la Combe'. These variations reflect the influence of Old Norman French on the English language during this period, with the addition of prepositions like 'atte' (at the) and 'de la' (of the).

The surname Coombe is also closely linked to several place names in England, such as Coombe, Somerset, and Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire. It is possible that some early bearers of this surname derived their name from these locations.

One notable historical figure with the surname Coombe was William Coombe (1741-1823), an English writer, and poet. He is best known for his satirical works, including 'The Diaboliad' and 'The Devil upon Two Sticks'.

Another individual of note was Thomas Coombe (1747-1822), an English mathematician and astronomer. He served as the Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1788 until his death.

In the literary world, Frances Coombe (1794-1865) was a British writer and novelist. Some of her works include 'The Prophecy of the Hill' and 'The Monastery of St. Columb'.

Sir Archibald Coombe (1805-1875) was a prominent British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy. He achieved the rank of Admiral and held various commands throughout his career.

Finally, Edward Coombe (1861-1935) was a British author and journalist. He published several works on historical and biographical subjects, including 'The Life of George Cruikshank' and 'The Life of Samuel Johnson'.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coombe

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!