2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lomely
A variant of the surname "Lumley", derived from an Old English place name meaning "bright clearing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Lomely. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lomely 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.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Lomely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomely, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lomely
The surname Lomely is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is thought to be derived from an Old English word "lome," meaning "loam" or fertile soil, combined with the suffix "-ley," which denotes a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near or worked on a loamy meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lomely can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from the late 12th century, where a certain William de Lomeley is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls, which were administrative records of land holdings and taxation.
During the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Lomely was Sir John Lomely, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born around 1320 and is recorded as having participated in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
In the 15th century, the name Lomely is found in the records of the College of Arms, an authority on heraldry and genealogy in England. One such entry mentions a coat of arms granted to a family named Lomely, indicating their social status and landholdings at the time.
Another notable individual with the surname Lomely was William Lomely, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London during the 16th century. He was born around 1510 and is recorded as having traded in various goods, including textiles and spices, with traders from across Europe and beyond.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Lomely was a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Northumberland. He was born in 1625 and is recorded as having owned several estates and served as a Justice of the Peace in his local community.
The name Lomely can also be found in various place names throughout England, such as Lomeley Green in Staffordshire and Lomeley Lane in Derbyshire, further reinforcing its historical roots and association with specific geographical areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lomely
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomely, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lomely 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 Lomely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.8% · 81
- White18.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lomely
Lomely 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+22 bearers (+18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,718 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-44 bearers (-30.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 35,104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | +22 bearers (+18.2%) | Up 8,718 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -44 bearers (-30.8%) | Down 35,104 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 Lomely 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 | #120,901 | #156,005 | -29.0% |
| Count | 143 | 99 | -30.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lomely bearers went from 143 to 99 (-30.8% change). The surname moved down 35,104 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #156,005.
FAQ
Lomely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lomely?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Lomely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Lomely?
Lomely ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Lomely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lomely.
Has Lomely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lomely went from 143 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 44 (-30.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Lomely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomely, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%). 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 Lomely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lomely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.8%), White (18.2%). 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 Lomely (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 Lomely mean?
A variant of the surname "Lumley", derived from an Old English place name meaning "bright clearing". 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 Lomely (0.03 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 Lomely?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.