Isme last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Isme

A variant spelling of the French surname "Isme", denoting someone from the town of Ismes.

Isme, 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 Isme surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Isme in America

Isme is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Isme surname appeared 202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Isme.

We can also compare 2010 data for Isme 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 91221 124872 -31.14%
Count 202 127 45.59%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.05 33.33%

The history of the last name Isme

The surname ISME is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'isme,' which meant 'meadow' or 'pasture.' This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive term to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ISME can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property rights in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Aelfric Isme in the county of Somerset.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named John Isme is listed as a resident of Oxfordshire. The spelling variations during this period include 'Isme,' 'Ysme,' and 'Ysmay.'

Notable individuals with the surname ISME throughout history include William Isme (c. 1350-1420), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the wool trade and served as a member of the town council.

Another figure of note is Sir Thomas Isme (1480-1558), a military commander who fought in the Wars of the Roses and served under King Henry VIII. He was knighted for his valiant service and granted lands in Gloucestershire.

In the 17th century, Elizabeth Isme (1612-1683) was a notable philanthropist and benefactor who established several charitable trusts and endowments in her hometown of Coventry.

During the 18th century, the name ISME appeared in various parish records and local histories, often associated with rural communities and farming families.

One such individual was John Isme (1725-1801), a renowned horticulturist and botanist who developed several new varieties of apple trees and published influential works on fruit cultivation.

The surname ISME has also been linked to certain place names, such as Isme Manor in Wiltshire, which dates back to the 13th century and may have been named after an early landholder with the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Isme

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

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 Isme was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Black Only 93.56% 189
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.47% 7

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White (S)% (S)% (S)%
Black 93.56% 88.98% 5.02%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 7.09% (S)%
Hispanic 3.47% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Isme last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/isme-surname-popularity/.

"Isme last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/isme-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Isme last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/isme-surname-popularity/.

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