2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Finnimore
An English surname derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a border or boundary area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Finnimore. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finnimore 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 Finnimore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Finnimore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finnimore
The surname Finnimore is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "fin" meaning "boundary" or "border," and "mor" meaning "moor" or "marsh." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a marshy border area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Finnimore can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Finnimor," suggesting that this spelling variation existed in the 11th century.
In the 13th century, a man named William Finnimore was recorded as a landholder in the county of Dorset. This indicates that the name had become established in this region by that time.
During the 16th century, the name Finnimore appeared in various records in the counties of Somerset and Devon. For example, a John Finnimore was born in the village of Chard, Somerset, in 1542.
One notable bearer of the Finnimore name was Richard Finnimore, a merchant and politician who lived in Bristol in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He served as Mayor of Bristol in 1693 and was a Member of Parliament for the city from 1701 to 1705.
Another individual of historical significance was James Finnimore, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1776 and rose to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy, distinguishing himself in several battles against the French.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Finnimore name was William Finnimore, a scholar and author born in 1828. He wrote several books on literature and history, including a well-regarded biography of the poet John Milton.
It is worth noting that the surname Finnimore has also been associated with place names in England, such as Finnimore Vale, a valley located in the county of Dorset. This further reinforces the connection between the name and geographical features related to marshes and borders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finnimore
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Finnimore 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 Finnimore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finnimore
Finnimore 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,218 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 21,218 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Finnimore 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finnimore bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Finnimore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finnimore?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Finnimore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Finnimore?
Finnimore ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Finnimore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Finnimore.
Has Finnimore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finnimore went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Finnimore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Finnimore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finnimore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Finnimore (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 Finnimore mean?
An English surname derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a border or boundary area. 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 Finnimore (0.03 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 Finnimore?
You can see how many people have the surname Finnimore on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.