2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cummens
An English occupational surname derived from a person who worked at a kiln or furnace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Cummens. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cummens 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Cummens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummens, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cummens
The surname CUMMENS is of English origin, derived from the medieval English given name Cumin or Cummin, which was a variation of the Latin name Cuminus. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Greek word "kuminon," meaning "cumin," referring to the aromatic seed.
The earliest known record of the surname CUMMENS dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cumin" in various counties across England. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the name CUMMENS was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham. It was often associated with places like Comyn's Ville, which later became Cumwinton or Compton.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the name CUMMENS was John Comyn, a powerful nobleman and regent of Scotland, who lived from around 1215 to 1300. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Comyn, an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century. He was a distinguished military commander and served as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
In the 15th century, the CUMMENS family established themselves in Lincolnshire, where they held estates and lands. One prominent member was Thomas Cummens, who served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1472.
During the Tudor period, the CUMMENS surname gained further recognition with the likes of William Cummens, a renowned scholar and translator who lived from around 1508 to 1569. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts into English.
In the 17th century, the CUMMENS family produced several notable clergymen, including Richard Cummens, who served as the Bishop of Peterborough from 1667 to 1679.
Throughout its history, the surname CUMMENS has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Comyn, Cummin, Cummins, and Comings, reflecting the diverse regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cummens
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummens, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cummens 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 Cummens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino12.5% · 14
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cummens
Cummens 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,781 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,781 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Cummens 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cummens bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Cummens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cummens?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Cummens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Cummens?
Cummens ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Cummens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Cummens.
Has Cummens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cummens went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Cummens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummens, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Cummens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cummens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Hispanic (12.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Cummens (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 Cummens mean?
An English occupational surname derived from a person who worked at a kiln or furnace. 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 Cummens (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 many people share the surname Cummens?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.