2000
#6,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Drum
An occupational surname for a drummer or someone who played or made drums.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,684 Americans carry the last name Drum. That puts it at #7,794 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drum 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 Drum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,176
Census rank
#7,794
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,085 bearers of the surname Drum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7794th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drum
The surname DRUM has its origins in the British Isles, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "drom," which means a ridge or a drumlin, referring to a distinctive landform.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DRUM can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1197, where it was spelled as "de Dromundeby." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name, possibly related to Drummond Hill or Drummond Castle in Scotland.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it was listed as "Drum" and "Drom." This indicates that the name had become more established in Scotland during this period.
The DRUM surname is also associated with the Clan Drummond, a prominent Scottish clan with a rich history dating back to the 12th century. The Clan Drummond is said to have descended from Maurice, a Hungarian nobleman who settled in Scotland during the reign of King David I.
One notable figure bearing the DRUM surname was John Drum (c. 1679-1737), a Scottish-born merchant and politician in colonial America. He served as the Mayor of Annapolis, Maryland, and was a member of the Maryland General Assembly.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Drummond (1797-1840), a British civil engineer and statesman. He played a significant role in the construction of the Drummond Light, an early form of limelight used in lighthouses and theaters.
In England, the DRUM surname can be traced back to the 15th century. Robert Drum (c. 1460-1536) was an English theologian and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
The name also appeared in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it was spelled "Drom," and the Hearth Tax Records of Yorkshire in 1673, where it appeared as "Drum."
William Drummond (1585-1649), a Scottish poet and writer, was another notable figure with the DRUM surname. He was a member of the Clan Drummond and is known for his poetry collections, including "Poems, Amorous, Funerall, Divine, Pastorall."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drum
Among Census respondents with the surname Drum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Drum 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 Drum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 3,682
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 142
- Two or more races2.8% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 74
- Black or African American1.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drum
Drum 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
#7,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,468
-153 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 730 places
2020
#7,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,085
-383 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,729 | 4,621 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,459 | 4,468 | 1.51 | -153 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 730 places |
| 2020 | #7,794 | 4,085 | 1.37 | -383 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 335 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 Drum 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 | #7,459 | #7,794 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,468 | 4,085 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.37 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drum bearers went from 4,468 to 4,085 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 335 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,459 to #7,794.
FAQ
Drum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drum?
Name Census estimates that about 4,684 living Americans carry the surname Drum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,176 residents.
How common is Drum?
Drum ranks #7,794 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,085 people with the surname Drum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Drum.
Has Drum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drum went from 4,468 recorded bearers to 4,085. That is a decrease of 383 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,459 to #7,794.
What does the Census say about the background of Drum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Drum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (3,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Drum (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 Drum mean?
An occupational surname for a drummer or someone who played or made drums. 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 Drum (1.37 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 have the surname Drum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.