2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lomis
A name possibly derived from the French surname Lommé, meaning one who originated from the town of Lommé.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Lomis. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lomis 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Lomis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lomis
The surname LOMIS has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "lom," meaning clay or loam, and the suffix "-is," indicating a place name. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone living near a loamy or clay-rich area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LOMIS name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1197, where a Walter de Lomis is mentioned. This record provides evidence of the name's existence during the reign of King Richard I.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, with a mention of a Richard de Lomis in 1273. This document, which recorded landholders and tenants during the reign of King Edward I, further cements the name's presence in medieval England.
The LOMIS surname is also closely linked to the village of Lomas, located in Shropshire, England. It is possible that the name originated as a place name referring to this location, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Lomes."
One notable figure bearing the LOMIS surname was Sir John Lomis (c. 1390 - 1450), a English knight who served under King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War. He fought alongside the king at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and was later granted lands in Normandy for his service.
Another individual of note was Thomas Lomis (1560 - 1624), a renowned English scholar and theologian who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. He was also the author of several influential works on theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the LOMIS name can be found in the records of the Virginia Company of London, with a William Lomis listed as a settler in the Jamestown colony in 1619. This provides evidence of the surname's early presence in the British colonies of America.
During the 18th century, a branch of the LOMIS family established itself in Scotland, with records showing a James Lomis (1712 - 1785) as a prominent merchant and landowner in Edinburgh.
Additionally, the LOMIS surname has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Lomisham (Gloucestershire), Lomisfield (Warwickshire), and Lomiston (Northumberland), further highlighting the name's geographical ties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lomis
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lomis 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 Lomis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lomis
Lomis 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,654 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,654 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Lomis 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 | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lomis bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Lomis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lomis?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Lomis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Lomis?
Lomis ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Lomis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lomis.
Has Lomis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lomis went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Lomis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lomis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Lomis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lomis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Lomis (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 Lomis mean?
A name possibly derived from the French surname Lommé, meaning one who originated from the town of Lommé. 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 Lomis (0.04 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 Lomis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.