2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gombash
An occupational surname derived from the Hungarian word "gombos" meaning "button maker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Gombash. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gombash 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Gombash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gombash, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gombash
The surname GOMBASH is believed to have originated in the Hungarian region during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Hungarian word "gombás," which means "mushroom gatherer" or "mushroom hunter." The name likely referred to an occupation or trade that was common in the rural areas of Hungary at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GOMBASH surname can be found in a 16th-century census record from the town of Szeged, located in what is now southern Hungary. The document lists a family headed by a man named Gáspár Gombash, who was likely a farmer or peasant.
In the 17th century, the GOMBASH name appears in several church records and land deeds from the Transdanubian region of Hungary. One notable figure from this time was István Gombash (1625-1689), a landowner and local magistrate in the village of Dunaföldvár.
As the GOMBASH family spread across Hungary and neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Gombas, Gombash, and Gombassy. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Banat region, which was then part of the Habsburg Monarchy (now divided between Romania, Serbia, and Hungary).
One of the most prominent individuals bearing the GOMBASH name was György Gombash (1783-1849), a military officer who served in the Austrian Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa for his bravery in the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809.
Another notable GOMBASH was Mihály Gombash (1822-1897), a Hungarian painter and art teacher who was influential in the development of the Hungarian Romantic movement in the late 19th century. His works can be found in museums across Hungary and neighboring countries.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many GOMBASH families emigrated from Hungary and settled in various parts of the United States, Canada, and other countries, bringing their unique surname with them. Despite its humble origins, the GOMBASH name has endured and continues to be carried by people of Hungarian descent around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gombash
Among Census respondents with the surname Gombash, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gombash 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 Gombash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gombash
Gombash 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+7 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,587 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-21 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,433 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 2,587 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 19,433 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 Gombash 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 | #132,206 | #151,639 | -14.7% |
| Count | 128 | 107 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gombash bearers went from 128 to 107 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 19,433 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #151,639.
FAQ
Gombash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gombash?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Gombash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Gombash?
Gombash ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Gombash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gombash.
Has Gombash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gombash went from 128 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Gombash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gombash, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Gombash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gombash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Gombash (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 Gombash mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Hungarian word "gombos" meaning "button maker". 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 Gombash (0.04 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 are called Gombash?
Want to know how common the surname Gombash is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.