Golomb last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Golomb is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Golomb.

Meaning of Golomb

A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "dove".

Golomb, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Golomb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Golomb in America

Golomb is the 39419th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Golomb surname appeared 558 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Golomb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Golomb to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 39419 38395 2.63%
Count 558 542 2.91%
Proportion per 100k 0.19 0.20 -5.13%

The history of the last name Golomb

The surname Golomb is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Golomb," which means "dove" or "pigeon." This name likely originated as a nickname or a reference to a person's occupation, perhaps a dovecote keeper or someone associated with the breeding or trading of these birds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Golomb can be found in the medieval German records from the 13th century. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Golumb, Golumbe, and Golomp, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of that time.

In the 15th century, the name Golomb appeared in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Golomb was documented as a respected citizen and merchant. This suggests that the name had already gained a foothold in the urban centers of Germany by that period.

As the centuries progressed, the Golomb family expanded and dispersed across different regions of Germany, with some members migrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. Notable individuals bearing the Golomb surname include:

  1. Johann Golomb (1542-1612), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
  2. Friedrich Golomb (1776-1853), a Prussian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent landowner in Silesia.
  3. Sophia Golomb (1859-1937), a German-born American educator and philanthropist who founded several schools and orphanages in the Midwest.
  4. Solomon Golomb (1932-2016), a renowned American mathematician and engineer known for his contributions to coding theory and digital communications.
  5. Michael Golomb (born 1963), a British artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries across Europe and North America.

While the Golomb name has its origins in Germany, it has since spread worldwide, with many families bearing this surname residing in various countries and contributing to different fields of endeavor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Golomb

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Golomb.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Golomb was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.59% 539
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.08% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.43% 8
Hispanic Origin 0.90% 5

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Golomb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.59% 96.86% -0.28%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.08% 0.92% 16.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 1.43% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 0.90% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Golomb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Golomb, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Golomb last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on January 23, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/golomb-surname-popularity/.

"Golomb last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/golomb-surname-popularity/. Accessed 23 January, 2025

Golomb last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/golomb-surname-popularity/.

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