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

Gum, 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 Gum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gum in America

Gum is the 12504th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gum surname appeared 2,479 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gum 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.

The history of the last name Gum

The surname "Gum" has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period, around the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "gumme," which referred to a resin or gum extracted from certain trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a certain "Willelmus de Gumme" was mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originated in Yorkshire, possibly referring to a person who lived near an area with an abundance of resin-producing trees or worked with resin as part of their trade.

The name "Gum" is closely related to the place name "Gomersal," a village in West Yorkshire. In the Domesday Book of 1086, this place was recorded as "Gumersale," which further reinforces the connection between the surname and the Old English word "gumme."

Historically, the surname "Gum" has been associated with various notable individuals, including John Gum (c. 1430-1492), a prominent English cleric and theologian who served as the Bishop of Rochester from 1486 until his death. Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Gum (1654-1733), an English philosopher and scientist known for his contributions to early modern optics and the study of vision.

In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the significance of Wendell Gum (1824-1876), an American poet and journalist who played a crucial role in the development of the Southern literary tradition during the mid-19th century.

The surname also has a notable presence in the field of sports, with Robert Gum (1863-1941), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century, and Dorothy Gum (1912-1995), an American tennis player who won multiple Grand Slam titles in the 1930s.

While the surname "Gum" may not be as widely prevalent as some other surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, scholars, writers, athletes, and more.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gum

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

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 Gum was:

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 Gum has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Gum was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!