2000
#9,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Longmire
From the Old English elements "lang" meaning "long" and "mere" meaning "pond" or "lake," likely referring to someone living near a long pond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,760 Americans carry the last name Longmire. That puts it at #9,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Longmire 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 Longmire with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,158
Census rank
#9,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,279 bearers of the surname Longmire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Longmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Longmire
The surname Longmire originated in England, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "long" and "mere," meaning a long pool or lake, likely referring to a person who lived near such a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where it appears as "Richard de Langmire." This suggests that the name was initially associated with a specific location, possibly a place called Longmire or a locality with a similar name.
During the medieval period, the Longmire family held lands and properties in various parts of northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name can be found in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1349, which mentions a John de Longmire.
In the 16th century, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Longmyre, Longmyre, and Longmire. One notable individual from this era was William Longmire (c. 1520-1589), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York.
As time passed, members of the Longmire family dispersed across different regions of England and beyond. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in Scotland, where the name became associated with the town of Longmire near Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Among the notable figures bearing the Longmire surname was John Longmire (1766-1833), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Naval General Service Medal for his distinguished service.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Longmire (1836-1923), a renowned English surgeon and pioneer in the field of abdominal surgery. He made significant contributions to the development of techniques for treating abdominal conditions and was widely respected in the medical community.
In the 20th century, the name Longmire gained further recognition through the accomplishments of individuals like John Barr Longmire (1909-1980), an American surgeon who made important contributions to the field of thoracic surgery and served as the president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
Additionally, Walter Longmire (1892-1966), an American writer and screenwriter, is known for his detective fiction novels featuring the character Lieutenant Vance, which were adapted for television and film.
While the Longmire surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by generations of individuals who have left their mark in diverse fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Longmire
Among Census respondents with the surname Longmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Longmire 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 Longmire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.1% · 1,773
- Black or African American36.9% · 1,211
- Two or more races4.3% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Longmire
Longmire 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
#9,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
+114 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 431 places
2020
#9,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,279
-20 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,382 | 3,185 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,813 | 3,299 | 1.12 | +114 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 431 places |
| 2020 | #9,484 | 3,279 | 1.10 | -20 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 329 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 Longmire 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 | #9,813 | #9,484 | 3.4% |
| Count | 3,299 | 3,279 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.10 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Longmire bearers went from 3,299 to 3,279 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,813 to #9,484.
FAQ
Longmire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Longmire?
Name Census estimates that about 3,760 living Americans carry the surname Longmire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,158 residents.
How common is Longmire?
Longmire ranks #9,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,279 people with the surname Longmire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Longmire.
Has Longmire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Longmire went from 3,299 recorded bearers to 3,279. That is a decrease of 20 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,813 to #9,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Longmire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Longmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Longmire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (1,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Longmire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.1%), Black (36.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Longmire (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 Longmire mean?
From the Old English elements "lang" meaning "long" and "mere" meaning "pond" or "lake," likely referring to someone living near a long pond. 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 Longmire (1.10 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 have the last name Longmire?
See how many people have the last name Longmire on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.