2000
#9,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Cumming
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement of Cumine's people" in Old English, referring to a family patriarch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,199 Americans carry the last name Cumming. That puts it at #10,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cumming 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 Cumming with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,144
Census rank
#10,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,790 bearers of the surname Cumming in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumming, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cumming
The surname Cumming has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "cumaing," meaning "milk pail" or "milk bucket." The name likely referred to someone who worked as a dairyman or was associated with the dairy trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Among the names mentioned is that of Adam de Cummyng, a Scottish nobleman from Cumbernauld.
The Cumming family played a significant role in Scottish history, particularly during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Sir John Cumming, a prominent knight who lived in the 14th century, was a staunch supporter of Robert the Bruce and fought alongside him at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various historical records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which mention a William Cumming who held lands in Aberdeenshire in 1456.
The Cummings were also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Cummingston in East Lothian and Cummingstown in Lanarkshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, suggesting that the Cummings were landowners in those areas.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Alexander Cumming, a Scottish soldier and diplomat who lived in the 16th century. He served as the ambassador to France and was knighted by King James VI of Scotland in 1587.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Gordon Cumming, a British naval officer who lived from 1772 to 1854. He played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars and was renowned for his bravery and leadership.
In literature, the name Cumming appears in works such as Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Bride of Lammermoor," where one of the characters is named Ravenswood Cumming.
Throughout history, the surname Cumming has been spelled in various ways, including Cuming, Comyn, Comying, and Cummyn, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences of different parts of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cumming
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumming, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cumming 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 Cumming surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 2,357
- Black or African American6.4% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 105
- Two or more races3.5% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cumming
Cumming 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
#10,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,047
-235 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 1,390 places
2020
#10,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,790
-257 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,138 | 3,282 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,528 | 3,047 | 1.03 | -235 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 1,390 places |
| 2020 | #10,906 | 2,790 | 0.93 | -257 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 378 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 Cumming 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 | #10,528 | #10,906 | -3.6% |
| Count | 3,047 | 2,790 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.93 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cumming bearers went from 3,047 to 2,790 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 378 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,528 to #10,906.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cumming
FAQ
Cumming surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cumming?
Name Census estimates that about 3,199 living Americans carry the surname Cumming. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,144 residents.
How common is Cumming?
Cumming ranks #10,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,790 people with the surname Cumming. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,199), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Cumming.
Has Cumming become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cumming went from 3,047 recorded bearers to 2,790. That is a decrease of 257 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,528 to #10,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Cumming?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cumming, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Cumming in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (2,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cumming appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (6.4%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Cumming (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 Cumming mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement of Cumine's people" in Old English, referring to a family patriarch. 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 Cumming (0.93 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 Cumming?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.