2000
#10,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,772
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Exum
Derived from a place name meaning "Ecks's homestead" in Old English, likely referring to a person's dwelling place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,098 Americans carry the last name Exum. That puts it at #11,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,637 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Exum 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
3.1K
1 in 110,637
Census rank
#11,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,702 bearers of the surname Exum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Exum, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Exum
The surname Exum has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ex," meaning "ox," and the suffix "-um," indicating a place name. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where oxen were bred or kept.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Exham." This early spelling variation provides insight into the name's evolution over time. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of 1332 mention a John de Exham, indicating the use of the surname in that era.
The Exum surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Exmouth in Devon and Exning in Suffolk. These place names likely contributed to the development of the surname, as people often adopted surnames based on the locations they were from or associated with.
In the 16th century, the Exum name gained prominence with the birth of Sir Thomas Exum (1516-1587), a notable English politician and landowner. He served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark and played a significant role in the Tudor era's political landscape.
Another notable figure bearing the Exum surname was John Exum (1701-1776), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought for the British forces and was captured during the Battle of Long Island in 1776.
In the 19th century, William Exum (1822-1892) made a name for himself as a prominent American businessman and industrialist. He founded the Exum Manufacturing Company, which produced agricultural machinery and played a crucial role in the industrialization of the United States.
The Exum surname also gained recognition through the work of Mary Exum (1895-1981), an American artist and sculptor. Her works were exhibited in renowned galleries and museums across the country, and she is considered a significant figure in the American art scene of the early 20th century.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Herbert Exum (1920-2005), an African-American civil rights activist and lawyer. He played a pivotal role in the desegregation movement and fought tirelessly for equal rights and opportunities for minorities in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Exum
Among Census respondents with the surname Exum, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Exum 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 Exum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 1,297
- Black or African American41.6% · 1,124
- Two or more races5.6% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Exum
Exum 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
#11,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,852
+80 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 509 places
2020
#11,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,702
-150 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,609 | 2,772 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,118 | 2,852 | 0.97 | +80 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 509 places |
| 2020 | #11,195 | 2,702 | 0.90 | -150 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 77 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 Exum 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 | #11,118 | #11,195 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,852 | 2,702 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.90 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Exum bearers went from 2,852 to 2,702 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,118 to #11,195.
FAQ
Exum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Exum?
Name Census estimates that about 3,098 living Americans carry the surname Exum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,637 residents.
How common is Exum?
Exum ranks #11,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,702 people with the surname Exum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Exum.
Has Exum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Exum went from 2,852 recorded bearers to 2,702. That is a decrease of 150 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,118 to #11,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Exum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Exum, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Exum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (1,297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Exum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.0%), Black (41.6%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Exum (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 Exum mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Ecks's homestead" in Old English, likely referring to a person's dwelling place. 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 Exum (0.90 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 Exum?
See how common the surname Exum is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.