Lom last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Lom

A surname derived from an Old Norse word meaning "small, insignificant" or perhaps a topographic name for someone living near a grove.

Lom, 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 Lom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lom in America

Lom is the 60196th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lom surname appeared 335 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 Lom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lom 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 60196 69201 -13.92%
Count 335 265 23.33%
Proportion per 100k 0.11 0.10 9.52%

The history of the last name Lom

The surname Lom has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon territories of England, dating back to the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Old English word "lom," meaning a utensil or vessel. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who made or sold such items.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Lom or variations such as Lome and Lomme. These entries are found in the counties of Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Walter Lom, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198. Another early bearer of the name was Robert de Lom, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262.

The name Lom has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Lom Hill in Derbyshire and Lom Bridge in Somerset. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "lom," indicating that the surname may have been derived from a specific location.

Notable individuals with the surname Lom throughout history include:

  1. Johan Lom (c. 1370-1435), a German composer and music theorist known for his treatise on mensural music.
  2. Josse de Lom (c. 1505-1561), a Flemish painter and draftsman active in the Renaissance period.
  3. Niccolò Lom (1680-1758), an Italian painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and etchings.
  4. David Lom (1888-1976), a British actor of Czech descent, known for his roles in films such as "The Ladykillers" and "The Pink Panther Strikes Again."
  5. Herbert Lom (1917-2012), a Czech-born British actor best known for his portrayal of Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther film series.

While the surname Lom has Anglo-Saxon roots and has been present in England since the Middle Ages, it has also been found in various other European countries, suggesting that it may have spread through migration or trade.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lom

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

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 Lom was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 44.48% 149
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.39% 8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 24.78% 83
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 26.87% 90

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 44.48% 47.55% -6.67%
Black 2.39% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 24.78% 23.77% 4.16%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 2.26% (S)%
Hispanic 26.87% 24.15% 10.66%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Lom last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/lom-surname-popularity/.

"Lom last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/lom-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 June, 2025

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

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