2000
#1,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.31
Uncommon Last name
Drummond
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Drummond, meaning "ridge" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,821 Americans carry the last name Drummond. That puts it at #2,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drummond 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 Drummond with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,292
Census rank
#2,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,285 bearers of the surname Drummond in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drummond, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drummond
The surname Drummond originates from the Scottish Lowlands, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "drumainn," meaning a ridge or a small hill. The name is closely associated with the Drummonds of Stobhall, an influential Scottish family who rose to prominence in the region of Perthshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where Malcolm de Drummond swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This document provides evidence of the surname's presence during the medieval period.
The Drummonds played a significant role in Scottish history, with members holding influential positions and gaining recognition for their military exploits. Sir John Drummond (c. 1340-1428) was a renowned Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert III during the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.
Another notable figure was James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth (1648-1716), a Scottish politician and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland and played a pivotal role in the Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England in 1707.
In the literary realm, the name is associated with William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585-1649), a Scottish poet and essayist widely regarded as one of the finest lyric poets of the 17th century. His works, including "Poems" and "A Cypress Grove," have had a lasting impact on Scottish literature.
The Drummonds also left their mark in the realm of exploration and discovery. Sir Gordon Drummond (1772-1854) was a British Army officer who served in various campaigns, including the War of 1812 in Canada, where he played a key role in the capture of Fort Erie.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Drummond (1797-1840), a British civil servant and statesman who served as Under-Secretary for Ireland and was instrumental in implementing social and political reforms in the country during the early 19th century.
Throughout history, the Drummond surname has been associated with various place names, such as Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland, and the town of Drummondville in Quebec, Canada, both named after members of the Drummond family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drummond
Among Census respondents with the surname Drummond, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Drummond 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 Drummond surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.7% · 10,833
- Black or African American28.5% · 4,920
- Two or more races4.4% · 756
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 618
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drummond
Drummond 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
#2,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,922
+890 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 6.08
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#2,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,285
-637 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,937 | 17,032 | 6.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,014 | 17,922 | 6.08 | +890 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #2,042 | 17,285 | 5.78 | -637 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 28 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 Drummond 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 | #2,014 | #2,042 | -1.4% |
| Count | 17,922 | 17,285 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.08 | 5.78 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drummond bearers went from 17,922 to 17,285 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,014 to #2,042.
FAQ
Drummond surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drummond?
Name Census estimates that about 19,821 living Americans carry the surname Drummond. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,292 residents.
How common is Drummond?
Drummond ranks #2,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,285 people with the surname Drummond. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Drummond.
Has Drummond become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drummond went from 17,922 recorded bearers to 17,285. That is a decrease of 637 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,014 to #2,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Drummond?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drummond, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) 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 Drummond in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.7% (10,833 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drummond appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.7%), Black (28.5%), 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 Drummond (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 Drummond mean?
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Drummond, meaning "ridge" in Gaelic. 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 Drummond (5.78 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 Drummond?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.