2000
#372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 28.44
Uncommon Last name
Cummings
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person of short stature, from the word "cumming" meaning small.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 87,348 Americans carry the last name Cummings. That puts it at #418 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cummings 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 Cummings with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,924
Census rank
#418
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 76,172 bearers of the surname Cummings in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 418th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummings, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cummings
The surname Cummings has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cuming," meaning "newcomer" or "stranger." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1202, where a person named William Cuming is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, documenting taxes and other payments made to the Crown.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals with the surname Cuming or Cumming in counties like Oxfordshire and Huntingdonshire. This indicates that the name had spread across different regions of England by that time.
The Cummings surname has also been associated with several place names in England, including Compton (from the Old English "combing tun," meaning "valley town") and Cumdivock (from the Old English "cuming" and the Cumbric "divock," meaning "a hollow"). These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Historically, notable individuals with the Cummings surname include:
1. Sir John Cummings (c. 1325-1400), an English soldier and diplomat who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.
2. Robert Cummings (c. 1508-1576), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral.
3. Francis Cummings (c. 1570-1647), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons during the reign of King Charles I.
4. Sir Abraham Cummings (1590-1670), an English merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several almshouses in London.
5. Thomas Cummings (1718-1791), an American patriot and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
The Cummings surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Comyn, Cumin, and Cumming, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and scribal interpretation. Despite these variations, the name's roots can be traced back to its Old English origins, reflecting the rich history and evolution of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cummings
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummings, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cummings 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 Cummings surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 53,250
- Black or African American19.1% · 14,531
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,396
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,727
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 1,563
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 705
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cummings
Cummings 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
#403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,316
+2,609 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 26.89
Rank movement Down 31 places
2020
#418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,172
-3,144 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 25.48
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #372 | 76,707 | 28.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #403 | 79,316 | 26.89 | +2,609 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 31 places |
| 2020 | #418 | 76,172 | 25.48 | -3,144 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 15 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 Cummings 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 | #403 | #418 | -3.7% |
| Count | 79,316 | 76,172 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 26.89 | 25.48 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cummings bearers went from 79,316 to 76,172 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #403 to #418.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cummings
FAQ
Cummings surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cummings?
Name Census estimates that about 87,348 living Americans carry the surname Cummings. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,924 residents.
How common is Cummings?
Cummings ranks #418 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 76,172 people with the surname Cummings. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (87,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Cummings.
Has Cummings become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cummings went from 79,316 recorded bearers to 76,172. That is a decrease of 3,144 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #403 to #418.
What does the Census say about the background of Cummings?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummings, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cummings in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (53,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cummings appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.9%), Black (19.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cummings (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 Cummings mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person of short stature, from the word "cumming" meaning small. 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 Cummings (25.48 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 Cummings?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Cummings, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.