2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Curmi
A surname of Maltese origin thought to derive from the Latin name "Cornelius".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Curmi. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Curmi 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Curmi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Curmi, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Curmi
The surname CURMI is of Maltese origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period on the Mediterranean island of Malta. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "qurmi," which means "crimson" or "deep red," potentially referring to the reddish-brown soil found in certain regions of Malta.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CURMI can be found in the Militia Roster of 1419-1420, which lists individuals who served in the island's defense forces during that time. This suggests that the CURMI lineage has a long-standing presence on the Maltese archipelago, dating back at least to the 15th century.
Throughout the centuries, the CURMI name has been associated with various prominent figures in Maltese history. One notable example is Mons. Dun Ġużepp Curmi (1798-1876), a renowned Maltese scholar, linguist, and historian who made significant contributions to the study of the Maltese language and the preservation of Maltese literature and traditions.
Another distinguished individual bearing the CURMI surname was Dun Mikiel Curmi (1839-1914), a revered Catholic priest and educator who founded several prestigious educational institutions in Malta, including the Lyceum for Boys and the Convent of the Sacred Heart for Girls.
In the realm of politics, Sir Ugo P. Curmi (1878-1961) stands out as a prominent figure. He served as the Chief Justice of Malta from 1934 to 1940 and played a crucial role in the island's transition from British colonial rule to independence.
The CURMI name has also been associated with certain place names in Malta, such as the village of Ħal Curmi, which was likely named after an early settler or landowner bearing the surname. Additionally, the spellings "Curmi" and "Qurmi" have been used interchangeably throughout history, reflecting the Arabic influence on the Maltese language.
While the CURMI surname is predominantly found in Malta and among the Maltese diaspora, it has also been documented in other parts of the Mediterranean region, such as Sicily and southern Italy, where Maltese communities have historically settled. However, the majority of historical records and notable figures associated with the name CURMI can be traced back to the Maltese archipelago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Curmi
Among Census respondents with the surname Curmi, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Curmi 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 Curmi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino12.3% · 14
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Curmi
Curmi 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+21 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,694 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-18 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,448 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 9,694 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 17,448 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 Curmi 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 | #129,047 | #146,495 | -13.5% |
| Count | 132 | 114 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Curmi bearers went from 132 to 114 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 17,448 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #146,495.
FAQ
Curmi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Curmi?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Curmi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Curmi?
Curmi ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Curmi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Curmi.
Has Curmi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Curmi went from 132 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Curmi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Curmi, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Curmi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Curmi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Hispanic (12.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Curmi (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 Curmi mean?
A surname of Maltese origin thought to derive from the Latin name "Cornelius". 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 Curmi (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 Curmi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.