2000
#13,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Cumbie
Derived from a place name in Lancashire, England, likely referring to a valley or hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,081 Americans carry the last name Cumbie. That puts it at #15,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cumbie 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
2.1K
1 in 164,707
Census rank
#15,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,815 bearers of the surname Cumbie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumbie, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cumbie
The surname Cumbie is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word 'cumainn', meaning 'comely' or 'attractive'. The name likely referred to an individual of striking appearance or pleasing demeanor.
In its early forms, the name appeared in various spellings such as 'Cumie', 'Cumming', and 'Cuming'. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and dialect differences at the time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish nobles who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name 'William Cumin' appears on these rolls, suggesting the surname's presence in Scotland during the late 13th century.
The Cumbie surname is also associated with the village of Cummingston, located in the historic county of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This place name likely contributed to the surname's evolution and regional distribution.
Notable individuals with the surname Cumbie include:
1. Alexander Cuming (c. 1690-1763), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1741 to 1743.
2. Hugh Cuming (1791-1865), a British naturalist and explorer known for his extensive collections of shells and other natural specimens from various parts of the world.
3. Roualeyn George Gordon-Cumming (1820-1866), a Scottish traveler and hunter who authored several books documenting his adventures in Africa and other regions.
4. Constance Frederica Gordon-Cumming (1837-1924), a Scottish writer and traveler, best known for her works on the South Pacific and her efforts to preserve Scottish folklore and traditions.
5. Sir William Gordon Cumming (1848-1930), a Scottish naval officer and later a Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, who played a significant role in the Boer War and World War I.
While the surname Cumbie has evolved over centuries and spread across various regions, its origins can be traced back to Scotland, where it emerged as a descriptive name reflecting an individual's attractive qualities or appearance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cumbie
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumbie, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cumbie 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 Cumbie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 1,579
- Black or African American4.4% · 79
- Two or more races4.3% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cumbie
Cumbie 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
#14,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
+90 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 472 places
2020
#15,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,815
-319 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,618 | 2,044 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,090 | 2,134 | 0.72 | +90 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 472 places |
| 2020 | #15,525 | 1,815 | 0.61 | -319 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 1,435 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 Cumbie 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 | #14,090 | #15,525 | -10.2% |
| Count | 2,134 | 1,815 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.61 | -15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cumbie bearers went from 2,134 to 1,815 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 1,435 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,090 to #15,525.
FAQ
Cumbie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cumbie?
Name Census estimates that about 2,081 living Americans carry the surname Cumbie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,707 residents.
How common is Cumbie?
Cumbie ranks #15,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,815 people with the surname Cumbie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Cumbie.
Has Cumbie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cumbie went from 2,134 recorded bearers to 1,815. That is a decrease of 319 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,090 to #15,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Cumbie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumbie, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Cumbie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (1,579 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cumbie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Cumbie (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 Cumbie mean?
Derived from a place name in Lancashire, England, likely referring to a valley 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 Cumbie (0.61 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 Cumbie?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Cumbie at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.