2000
#9,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Gumm
Derived from the Middle English word "gome," meaning "man" or "person," likely referring to a male ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,090 Americans carry the last name Gumm. That puts it at #11,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gumm 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 Gumm with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,924
Census rank
#11,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,695 bearers of the surname Gumm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumm, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gumm
The surname "GUMM" is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gummo," meaning a man or someone of importance. The name may also be related to the Old German word "gummi," which means "rubber" or "gum."
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was often spelled as "Gumm" or "Gum." It is believed that the name may have initially been a nickname or a descriptive term before becoming a hereditary surname. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, where a certain Hans Gumm is mentioned as a resident in 1552.
The name "GUMM" can also be traced to various place names in Germany, such as Gummersbach and Gummeroth, suggesting that it may have originated as a locative surname for someone who hailed from these areas. In the 17th century, the name appears in the baptismal records of the town of Nideggen, where a Johannes Gumm was born in 1642.
One notable person bearing the surname "GUMM" was Johann Gumm, a German artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his intricate and detailed engravings of religious scenes and portraits.
Another individual with this surname was Friedrich Gumm, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1799 to 1876. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and wrote extensively on theological and philosophical topics.
In the 19th century, the name "GUMM" also appears in the United States, likely carried by German immigrants. One such individual was Carl Gumm, a German-American industrialist who founded the Gumm Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the late 1800s.
Another notable American with the surname "GUMM" was Ethel Gumm, better known by her stage name Judy Garland. She was a renowned actress and singer who rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s, starring in films like "The Wizard of Oz" and "A Star Is Born." Ethel Gumm was born in 1922 and passed away in 1969.
While the surname "GUMM" may not be among the most common in the world, it has a rich history that traces back to its German roots and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gumm
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumm, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gumm 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 Gumm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,406
- Two or more races3.6% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 88
- Black or African American3.2% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gumm
Gumm 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
#11,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,812
-364 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 1,840 places
2020
#11,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
-117 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,401 | 3,176 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,241 | 2,812 | 0.95 | -364 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 1,840 places |
| 2020 | #11,219 | 2,695 | 0.90 | -117 bearers (-4.2%) | Up 22 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 Gumm 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 | #11,241 | #11,219 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,812 | 2,695 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.90 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gumm bearers went from 2,812 to 2,695 (-4.2% change). The surname moved up 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,241 to #11,219.
FAQ
Gumm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gumm?
Name Census estimates that about 3,090 living Americans carry the surname Gumm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,924 residents.
How common is Gumm?
Gumm ranks #11,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,695 people with the surname Gumm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Gumm.
Has Gumm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gumm went from 2,812 recorded bearers to 2,695. That is a decrease of 117 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,241 to #11,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Gumm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumm, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Gumm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gumm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Gumm (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 Gumm mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "gome," meaning "man" or "person," likely referring to a male ancestor. 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 Gumm (0.90 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 have the surname Gumm?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.