2000
#3,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.69
Uncommon Last name
Isom
Derived from the Middle English given name "Isome," meaning "one who is esteemed" or "son of Isome."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,246 Americans carry the last name Isom. That puts it at #3,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Isom 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 Isom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,478
Census rank
#3,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,807 bearers of the surname Isom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Isom, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Isom
The surname Isom is of Anglo-Saxon origin and can be traced back to the 11th century England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "isarn" or "isum", meaning "iron" or "iron worker". This suggests that the name may have been initially given to a blacksmith or someone who worked with iron.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with variations of the name, such as Iseran and Isernbarn.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as Isan, Isen, and Ison, indicating the evolution of its spelling over time. One notable early bearer of the name was John Ison, a merchant from Bristol, England, who is mentioned in records from the late 14th century.
The Isom surname can also be linked to several place names in England, such as Isum and Isombridge, both located in Somerset. These place names likely derived from the Old English words "isern" or "isum", further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the iron trade.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Isom surname, including:
1. John Isom (c. 1585-1655), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in the 17th century.
2. Mary Isom (1768-1840), an American pioneer and settler in Kentucky, known for her role in the early settlement of the state.
3. Thomas Isom (1819-1892), an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Tennessee State Senate in the late 19th century.
4. Alfred Isom (1873-1950), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
5. Zora Isom (1898-1964), an American blues singer and songwriter, active in the 1920s and 1930s, known for her contributions to the Chicago blues scene.
While the Isom surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement in the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isom
Among Census respondents with the surname Isom, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Isom 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 Isom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 5,124
- Black or African American37.7% · 3,700
- Two or more races5.7% · 563
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 291
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Isom
Isom 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
#3,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,099
+148 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#3,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,807
-292 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,304 | 9,951 | 3.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,535 | 10,099 | 3.42 | +148 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #3,550 | 9,807 | 3.28 | -292 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 15 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 Isom 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 | #3,535 | #3,550 | -0.4% |
| Count | 10,099 | 9,807 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 3.28 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Isom bearers went from 10,099 to 9,807 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,535 to #3,550.
FAQ
Isom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Isom?
Name Census estimates that about 11,246 living Americans carry the surname Isom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,478 residents.
How common is Isom?
Isom ranks #3,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,807 people with the surname Isom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Isom.
Has Isom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Isom went from 10,099 recorded bearers to 9,807. That is a decrease of 292 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,535 to #3,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Isom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Isom, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Isom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (5,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Isom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Black (37.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Isom (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 Isom mean?
Derived from the Middle English given name "Isome," meaning "one who is esteemed" or "son of Isome." 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 Isom (3.28 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 Isom?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.