Find out how popular the last name Cummins is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cummins.

Cummins, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cummins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cummins in America

Cummins is the 1731st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cummins surname appeared 20,705 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Cummins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cummins to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cummins

The surname Cummins originated in England, and it derives from the ancient British place name Cumdun or Cumdene. This place name is believed to have meant "valley of the Cymri" or "valley of the Britons." The name was first recorded in the early 11th century.

The Cummins surname has been found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "de Comindene." This entry referred to a landowner in Staffordshire, England, who held lands from the Earl of Shrewsbury.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cummins was Sir John Cummins, a Knight of Wiltshire, who lived during the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). He was known for his military service and his participation in the Hundred Years' War against France.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Cummins, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, in the late 15th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1547 and was knighted by King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Cummins family settled in Ireland, where the name was anglicized to Comyn or Cumyn. One of the most prominent members of this Irish branch was Sir Richard Cumyn, who was born in Dublin in 1572. He served as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1621 and played a significant role in the city's affairs during a turbulent period of Irish history.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Cummins family emigrated to the American colonies, where they settled in Virginia and Maryland. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname in America was John Cummins, who was born in England in 1621 and arrived in Virginia in 1639.

Another notable figure was Samuel Cummins, who was born in Ireland in 1678 and later immigrated to Pennsylvania. He became a prominent landowner and was involved in the early settlement of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cummins

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cummins.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cummins was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cummins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cummins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cummins, please contact us.

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