2000
#3,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.38
Uncommon Last name
Lomax
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "pool by a small hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,623 Americans carry the last name Lomax. That puts it at #3,727 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lomax 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 Lomax with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,265
Census rank
#3,727
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,264 bearers of the surname Lomax in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3727th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomax, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lomax
The surname Lomax originated in the north of England, likely in the county of Lancashire during the late 12th or early 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a now lost place name, possibly an Old English word meaning "bare hill" or "bald ridge". The earliest known spelling variations include Lomeha, Lomache, and Lomays.
One of the earliest records of the name appears in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246, where a Richard de Lomache is mentioned. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Lomax name, suggesting the surname emerged later during the medieval period.
By the 14th century, the Lomax surname had spread to other parts of northern England, particularly Yorkshire and Cheshire. In the Wills and Inventories of the Archdeaconry of Richmond from 1485, a Joan Lomax is listed as a resident of the village of Kirkby Malhamdale.
Notable individuals with the Lomax surname include:
1. John Lomax (c. 1479 - 1556), an English prelate who served as Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
2. Richard Lomax (c. 1567 - 1622), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan.
3. Nathaniel Lomax (1630 - 1694), an English Puritan minister and author from Bolton, Lancashire.
4. John Trevilian Lomax (1778 - 1853), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
5. John Avery Lomax (1867 - 1948), an American teacher, scholar, and folklorist who helped preserve the folk songs and ballads of the American West and Southwest.
The Lomax name has been associated with various place names and locations over the centuries, including Lomaxtown in Yorkshire, Lomax Fields near Bury, and the township of Lomax in Lancashire, which was recorded as Lomhulme in the 13th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lomax
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomax, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lomax 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 Lomax surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.2% · 4,655
- White39.9% · 3,692
- Two or more races5.3% · 491
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 336
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lomax
Lomax 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
#3,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,789
+669 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#3,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,264
-525 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,579 | 9,120 | 3.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,627 | 9,789 | 3.32 | +669 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #3,727 | 9,264 | 3.10 | -525 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 100 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 Lomax 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 | #3,627 | #3,727 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,789 | 9,264 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.32 | 3.10 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lomax bearers went from 9,789 to 9,264 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,627 to #3,727.
FAQ
Lomax surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lomax?
Name Census estimates that about 10,623 living Americans carry the surname Lomax. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,265 residents.
How common is Lomax?
Lomax ranks #3,727 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.10 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 9,264 people with the surname Lomax. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,623), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.10 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 Lomax.
Has Lomax become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lomax went from 9,789 recorded bearers to 9,264. That is a decrease of 525 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,627 to #3,727.
What does the Census say about the background of Lomax?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomax, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lomax in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (4,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lomax appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.2%), White (39.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Lomax (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 Lomax mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "pool by a small hill" in Old English. 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 Lomax (3.10 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 are called Lomax?
You can see how many people have the last name Lomax on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.