2000
#16,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Gumbs
A habitational or ethnic surname of uncertain origin, possibly from a place name or a figure of speech related to thighs or legs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,271 Americans carry the last name Gumbs. That puts it at #14,490 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gumbs 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 Gumbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 150,927
Census rank
#14,490
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,980 bearers of the surname Gumbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14490th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumbs, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and White (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gumbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumbs, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and White (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gumbs 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 Gumbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American70.4% · 1,394
- Hispanic or Latino13.3% · 263
- White7.5% · 149
- Two or more races7.3% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gumbs
Gumbs 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
#15,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,885
+254 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 748 places
2020
#14,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,980
+95 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 1,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,275 | 1,631 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,527 | 1,885 | 0.64 | +254 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 748 places |
| 2020 | #14,490 | 1,980 | 0.66 | +95 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 1,037 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 Gumbs 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 | #15,527 | #14,490 | 6.7% |
| Count | 1,885 | 1,980 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.66 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gumbs bearers went from 1,885 to 1,980 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 1,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,527 to #14,490.
FAQ
Gumbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gumbs?
Name Census estimates that about 2,271 living Americans carry the surname Gumbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,927 residents.
How common is Gumbs?
Gumbs ranks #14,490 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,980 people with the surname Gumbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gumbs.
Has Gumbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gumbs went from 1,885 recorded bearers to 1,980. That is an increase of 95 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,527 to #14,490.
What does the Census say about the background of Gumbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumbs, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and White (7.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gumbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.4% (1,394 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gumbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (70.4%), Hispanic (13.3%), White (7.5%). 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 Gumbs (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 Gumbs mean?
A habitational or ethnic surname of uncertain origin, possibly from a place name or a figure of speech related to thighs or legs. 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 Gumbs (0.66 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 Americans have the surname Gumbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.