2000
#5,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,755
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Lombard
A surname denoting a person from the Lombardy region of Italy or an individual who lends money.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,352 Americans carry the last name Lombard. That puts it at #5,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lombard 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 Lombard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,960
Census rank
#5,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,539 bearers of the surname Lombard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lombard, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lombard
The surname Lombard originates from the Lombard people, a Germanic tribe that ruled a significant portion of the Italian peninsula from the late 6th to the late 8th century. The name is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "Langobardaz," which means "long-bearded." This name was given to the tribe due to their distinctive long beards.
The Lombards initially settled in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy, after invading the area in 568 CE. As they established their rule, the name Lombard became associated with people and places within their territory. Over time, it evolved into a surname for those living in or originating from the Lombardy region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Lombard can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book lists several individuals with the surname, indicating its use in medieval England.
In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Arnulf Lombard (c. 1150-1180) served as the Archbishop of Reims and played a crucial role in the coronation of Philip II of France. Another noteworthy individual was Peter Lombard (c. 1095-1160), an Italian scholar and theologian who became the Bishop of Paris and authored the influential work "Sententiarum Libri Quatuor."
During the Crusades, a French nobleman named Renaud de Lombard (c. 1170-1220) participated in the Third Crusade and fought alongside Richard the Lionheart. In the 13th century, Lambert Lombard (c. 1505-1566) was a renowned Flemish Renaissance painter and architect from Liège.
Another notable figure was John Lombard (c. 1493-1577), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Salisbury. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and contributed to the translation of the Bishops' Bible.
Over the centuries, the surname Lombard spread throughout Europe and beyond, carried by individuals who migrated or descended from those originally residing in the Lombardy region. The name has undergone various spellings, including Lombart, Lambard, and Lumbard, reflecting regional variations and linguistic adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lombard
Among Census respondents with the surname Lombard, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lombard 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 Lombard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 4,370
- Black or African American8.1% · 450
- Two or more races5.8% · 323
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 303
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lombard
Lombard 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
#5,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,873
+118 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 327 places
2020
#5,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,539
-334 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,548 | 5,755 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,875 | 5,873 | 1.99 | +118 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 327 places |
| 2020 | #5,983 | 5,539 | 1.85 | -334 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 108 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 Lombard 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 | #5,875 | #5,983 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,873 | 5,539 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.85 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lombard bearers went from 5,873 to 5,539 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,875 to #5,983.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lombard
FAQ
Lombard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lombard?
Name Census estimates that about 6,352 living Americans carry the surname Lombard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,960 residents.
How common is Lombard?
Lombard ranks #5,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 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 5,539 people with the surname Lombard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 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 Lombard.
Has Lombard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lombard went from 5,873 recorded bearers to 5,539. That is a decrease of 334 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,875 to #5,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Lombard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lombard, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Lombard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (4,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lombard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Lombard (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 Lombard mean?
A surname denoting a person from the Lombardy region of Italy or an individual who lends money. 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 Lombard (1.85 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 common is the surname Lombard?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lombard? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.