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

Gumbs, 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 Gumbs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gumbs in America

Gumbs is the 15527th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gumbs surname appeared 1,885 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 Gumbs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gumbs 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 Gumbs

The surname GUMBS is believed to have originated from the Caribbean island of Anguilla, situated in the Lesser Antilles. It is thought to have derived from the Akan language spoken in parts of West Africa, particularly Ghana. The word "gumbs" or "gombe" in Akan is said to refer to a specific type of shrub or small tree found in the region.

The earliest recorded instances of the GUMBS surname can be traced back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when Anguilla was a British colony. During this time, many Africans were brought to the island as enslaved people, and it is believed that some of them carried variations of the name "Gumbs" or "Gombe" from their homelands.

One of the earliest known individuals with the GUMBS surname was Benjamin Gumbs, who was born in Anguilla around 1720. He was a prominent figure in the local community and is mentioned in several historical records from the mid-18th century.

Another notable bearer of the GUMBS name was Jeremiah Gumbs, born in Anguilla in the late 18th century. He was a skilled sailor and ship captain who played a crucial role in the island's maritime trade during that era.

In the 19th century, the GUMBS surname gained wider recognition with the birth of William Gumbs (1839-1912), a pioneering educator and community leader in Anguilla. He established several schools on the island and was instrumental in promoting education among the local population.

As the GUMBS family spread across the Caribbean and beyond, the surname gained prominence in various fields. One notable figure was Hubert Gumbs (1914-1994), a renowned artist from the British Virgin Islands who was celebrated for his vibrant paintings depicting Caribbean life and landscapes.

Another significant individual was Eugenia Gumbs (1923-2007), a prominent author and educator from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her works, such as "Family Across the Sea" and "The Gumbs Legacy," explored the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean diaspora and the experiences of Afro-Caribbean communities.

While the GUMBS surname has its roots in the Caribbean, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable bearers contributing to diverse fields such as literature, art, education, and community development.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gumbs

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gumbs, 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!