2000
#34,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Lumb
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a small valley or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 724 Americans carry the last name Lumb. That puts it at #37,855 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 473,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lumb 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 Lumb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
724
1 in 473,418
Census rank
#37,855
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
631
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 631 bearers of the surname Lumb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37855th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lumb
The surname Lumb is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "lumb," meaning a small valley or a deep, wooded ravine. The name is therefore a topographical surname, referring to someone who lived near or in such a location.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086. In this famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to places with names like "Lumb" and "Lombe," which likely contributed to the development of the surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Lumb, who lived in Yorkshire, England, in the 13th century. Other early instances include Robert de Lumb, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, and William de Lumb, who was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.
The name Lumb is also associated with various place names in England, such as Lumb Foot in Lancashire, Lumb Bank in West Yorkshire, and Lumbs Lane in Cheshire. These locations may have derived their names from the Old English word "lumb," and some of them could have been the original homes of families who adopted the surname.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Lumb. One example is John Lumb (1665-1698), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and published works on celestial mechanics. Another is Richard Lumb (1738-1808), an English poet and playwright who wrote numerous works, including the play "The Airs of Arminius."
Other notable bearers of the name include William Lumb (1805-1870), a British businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry and donated generously to educational causes; Mary Lumb (1870-1944), an English writer and poet known for her children's stories and nature poetry; and James Lumb (1886-1964), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for several years.
While the surname Lumb is relatively uncommon, it has endured through the centuries, carrying with it the rich history and linguistic roots of the English language and the topographical features of the country's landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lumb
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lumb 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 Lumb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 555
- Black or African American4.3% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 17
- Two or more races1.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lumb
Lumb 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
#37,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 587
-38 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 3,540 places
2020
#37,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 631
+44 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,308 | 625 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,848 | 587 | 0.20 | -38 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 3,540 places |
| 2020 | #37,855 | 631 | 0.21 | +44 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 7 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 Lumb 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 | #37,848 | #37,855 | -0.0% |
| Count | 587 | 631 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.21 | 5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lumb bearers went from 587 to 631 (+7.5% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,848 to #37,855.
FAQ
Lumb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lumb?
Name Census estimates that about 724 living Americans carry the surname Lumb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 473,418 residents.
How common is Lumb?
Lumb ranks #37,855 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 631 people with the surname Lumb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (724), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Lumb.
Has Lumb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lumb went from 587 recorded bearers to 631. That is an increase of 44 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #37,848 to #37,855.
What does the Census say about the background of Lumb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Lumb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (555 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lumb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Lumb (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 Lumb mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a small valley or grove. 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 Lumb (0.21 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 Lumb?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.