2000
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Cuming
A locational surname denoting someone from a place called Comines or Cummings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cuming. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuming 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 Cuming with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cuming in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuming, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuming
The surname CUMING is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "cuman" which means "to come". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name for someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CUMING surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as "Cumming" and "Comyn".
In the 12th century, the CUMING family established themselves as prominent landowners in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Moray. Notable members of this Scottish branch include Walter Cuming, a powerful baron who lived during the reign of King William the Lion (1165-1214).
In the 13th century, the CUMING surname can be found in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners in England. The name is also associated with the village of Comyn Platt in Worcestershire, suggesting a connection to a place name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the CUMING surname is Ralph Cuming, a landowner in Yorkshire who was born around 1180. Another notable figure is William Cuming (1337-1418), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Winchester.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the CUMING surname was present in various parts of England, including Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Robert Cuming (1548-1610) was an English merchant and politician who served as the Sheriff of London in 1590.
In the 18th century, the CUMING name gained prominence in Scotland with individuals such as Sir Alexander Cuming (1690-1775), a Scottish baronet and landowner, and James Cuming (1777-1861), a Scottish naval surgeon and naturalist.
The 19th century saw the CUMING surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable figure from this period is Hugh Cuming (1791-1865), a British naturalist and explorer who collected thousands of specimens during his travels in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuming
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuming, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuming 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 Cuming surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuming
Cuming 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
-13 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,814 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-29 bearers (-21.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,657 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,734 | 151 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | -13 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 15,814 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-21.0%) | Down 25,657 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 Cuming 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 | #124,548 | #150,205 | -20.6% |
| Count | 138 | 109 | -21.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuming bearers went from 138 to 109 (-21.0% change). The surname moved down 25,657 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #150,205.
FAQ
Cuming surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuming?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cuming. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Cuming?
Cuming ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Cuming. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Cuming.
Has Cuming become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuming went from 138 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 29 (-21.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuming?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuming, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Cuming in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuming appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Cuming (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 Cuming mean?
A locational surname denoting someone from a place called Comines or Cummings. 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 Cuming (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 Cuming?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Cuming? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.