2000
#7,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Lomas
A topographical surname derived from the Old Norse word "lom," meaning a wooded valley or glen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,171 Americans carry the last name Lomas. That puts it at #7,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lomas 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 Lomas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,284
Census rank
#7,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,509 bearers of the surname Lomas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 55.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.4%) and Black (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lomas
The surname Lomas is derived from the Old English word "loma" or "lumb," meaning a bare hill or a barren landscape. It originated in England, particularly in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where the terrain is characterized by rolling hills and moorlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Loma," referring to a person from a particular location. In the 12th century, the name was spelled as "Lome" and "Lumes" in various medieval records.
The name Lomas was often associated with specific places, such as Lomas, a township in Lancashire, and Lomas Chapel, a hamlet in Derbyshire. These place names likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname in those regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Lomas include:
1. John Lomas (c. 1585-1668), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme.
2. Richard Lomas (1631-1708), an English clergyman and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
3. Edward Lomas (1767-1833), a British artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
4. John Lomas (1818-1895), a British cotton manufacturer and philanthropist from Lancashire.
5. Neville Lomas (1879-1932), an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
Over time, the surname Lomas spread beyond its northern English roots, and variations such as Lomas, Lomes, and Lomax emerged. While the exact origins of some individuals bearing this surname may be uncertain, the connection to the Old English word "loma" and its association with hillsides and moorlands remain a defining characteristic of this name's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lomas
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 55.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.4%) and Black (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lomas 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 Lomas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino55.7% · 2,510
- White34.4% · 1,552
- Black or African American6.6% · 297
- Two or more races1.9% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lomas
Lomas 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
#7,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,667
+484 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 169 places
2020
#7,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,509
-158 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,336 | 4,183 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,167 | 4,667 | 1.58 | +484 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 169 places |
| 2020 | #7,139 | 4,509 | 1.51 | -158 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 28 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 Lomas 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 | #7,167 | #7,139 | 0.4% |
| Count | 4,667 | 4,509 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.51 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lomas bearers went from 4,667 to 4,509 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,167 to #7,139.
FAQ
Lomas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lomas?
Name Census estimates that about 5,171 living Americans carry the surname Lomas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,284 residents.
How common is Lomas?
Lomas ranks #7,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,509 people with the surname Lomas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lomas.
Has Lomas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lomas went from 4,667 recorded bearers to 4,509. That is a decrease of 158 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,167 to #7,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Lomas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 55.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.4%) and Black (6.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lomas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (2,510 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lomas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (55.7%), White (34.4%), Black (6.6%). 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 Lomas (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 Lomas mean?
A topographical surname derived from the Old Norse word "lom," meaning a wooded valley or glen. 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 Lomas (1.51 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 Lomas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.