2000
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Coomes
Derived from a place name meaning "the valleys" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,674 Americans carry the last name Coomes. That puts it at #12,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coomes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Coomes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,180
Census rank
#12,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,332 bearers of the surname Coomes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coomes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coomes
The surname Coomes is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the southern counties of Dorset and Somerset, during the medieval period. The name is thought to derive from the Old English word "cumb," meaning a small valley or hollow, or from the place name "Combe" which shares the same root.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Combe," referring to someone from a place called Combe. This suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, given to people based on their place of origin or residence.
As the name evolved over time, various spellings emerged, including Coomes, Comes, Combes, and Coombes. These variations likely arose due to regional dialect differences and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 13th century, records show an individual named William Coomes holding land in Dorset, indicating that the name had become established in the region by that point.
One notable figure bearing the Coomes surname was Sir John Coomes (c. 1483 - 1562), a wealthy merchant and Sheriff of Bristol in the 16th century. He played a significant role in the city's trade and governance during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Another prominent individual was Fortunatus Coomes (c. 1619 - 1683), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stretham in Cambridgeshire. He published several works, including a treatise on the Book of Revelation.
In the 18th century, John Coomes (1741 - 1811) was a noted engraver and mezzotint artist who collaborated with renowned painters such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.
Toward the end of the 19th century, George Coomes (1842 - 1915) made his mark as a pioneering photographer and one of the earliest members of the Royal Photographic Society in England.
Lastly, Edith Coomes (1886 - 1967) was a notable British artist and wood engraver, known for her intricate depictions of nature and rural life in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coomes
Among Census respondents with the surname Coomes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Coomes 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 Coomes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,147
- Two or more races3.2% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coomes
Coomes 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
#12,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,553
+164 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#12,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,332
-221 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,000 | 2,389 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,199 | 2,553 | 0.87 | +164 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #12,644 | 2,332 | 0.78 | -221 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 445 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 Coomes 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 | #12,199 | #12,644 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,553 | 2,332 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.78 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coomes bearers went from 2,553 to 2,332 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 445 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,199 to #12,644.
FAQ
Coomes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coomes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,674 living Americans carry the surname Coomes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,180 residents.
How common is Coomes?
Coomes ranks #12,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,332 people with the surname Coomes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Coomes.
Has Coomes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coomes went from 2,553 recorded bearers to 2,332. That is a decrease of 221 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,199 to #12,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Coomes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coomes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Coomes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coomes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Coomes (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 Coomes mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the valleys" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived there. 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 Coomes (0.78 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 surname Coomes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.