2000
#12,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Cumberland
From the Old English for "land of the Cymry" or "land of the Cumbrian Britons," referring to an area in northwest England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,459 Americans carry the last name Cumberland. That puts it at #13,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cumberland 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 Cumberland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,388
Census rank
#13,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,144 bearers of the surname Cumberland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumberland, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cumberland
The surname Cumberland originates from the historic county of Cumberland in North West England, near the border with Scotland. The name is derived from the Old English words 'cumba' meaning a valley, and 'land' meaning land or territory. The earliest recorded spelling of the placename was 'Cumbra land' in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, dated around 945 AD.
Cumberland was an important region during the Anglo-Saxon period, and the name appears in several medieval records and manuscripts. One notable example is the Domesday Book of 1086, where the area is referred to as 'Cumberlande'. This valuable historical document provides insights into the landowners and settlements of the time.
The surname Cumberland likely emerged as a locational name, referring to people who originated from or were associated with the county. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the surname include William de Cumberland, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and Robert de Cumberland, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273.
Over the centuries, various spellings of the surname emerged, such as Cumberlaunde, Cumbreland, and Cumerland, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. The name was also influenced by the place names within Cumberland, such as Penrith, Carlisle, and Whitehaven.
Notable individuals with the surname Cumberland include:
1. Richard Cumberland (1632-1718), an English philosopher and bishop of Peterborough.
2. Denison Cumberland (1781-1865), a British naval officer and inventor of the Cumberland projectile.
3. William Augustus Cumberland (1796-1865), an English diplomat and writer, known for his plays and novels.
4. Arden Cumberland (1786-1851), an English playwright and dramatist, best known for his comedy 'The Jew'.
5. George Cumberland (1558-1628), an English bishop and scholar, known for his work on the Phoenician language.
These are just a few examples of the prominent individuals who bore the surname Cumberland throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in the region and its significance in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cumberland
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumberland, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cumberland 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 Cumberland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 1,813
- Black or African American6.8% · 146
- Two or more races4.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cumberland
Cumberland 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
#13,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,233
+59 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 633 places
2020
#13,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,144
-89 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,945 | 2,174 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,578 | 2,233 | 0.76 | +59 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 633 places |
| 2020 | #13,554 | 2,144 | 0.72 | -89 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 24 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 Cumberland 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 | #13,578 | #13,554 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,233 | 2,144 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.72 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cumberland bearers went from 2,233 to 2,144 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,578 to #13,554.
FAQ
Cumberland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cumberland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,459 living Americans carry the surname Cumberland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,388 residents.
How common is Cumberland?
Cumberland ranks #13,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,144 people with the surname Cumberland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Cumberland.
Has Cumberland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cumberland went from 2,233 recorded bearers to 2,144. That is a decrease of 89 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,578 to #13,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Cumberland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumberland, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Cumberland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (1,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cumberland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (6.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Cumberland (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 Cumberland mean?
From the Old English for "land of the Cymry" or "land of the Cumbrian Britons," referring to an area in northwest England. 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 Cumberland (0.72 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 Cumberland?
See how many people have the last name Cumberland on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.