2000
#12,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Lumpkins
Derived from the Old English word "lompecyn," meaning a lump of clay or an awkward, clumsy person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,678 Americans carry the last name Lumpkins. That puts it at #12,627 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lumpkins 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
2.7K
1 in 127,989
Census rank
#12,627
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,335 bearers of the surname Lumpkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12627th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumpkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lumpkins
The surname Lumpkins is of English origin, first appearing in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lump", meaning a small mass or lump, combined with the diminutive suffix "-kin". This suggests the name may have originated as a nickname for someone of a stocky or stout stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lumpkins surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1591, where a John Lumpkins is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in various parish records from the late 16th and early 17th centuries in counties such as Shropshire and Worcestershire.
In the 17th century, the Lumpkins family was well-established in the village of Lumpkin's Green, situated in the parish of Wem, Shropshire. This place name may have contributed to the surname's development and popularity in the region. A notable figure from this time was William Lumpkins (1619-1687), a prosperous landowner and member of the local gentry.
As the Lumpkins surname spread across England, it underwent various spelling variations, including Lumpkin, Lumpkyn, and Lumpkyn. In the late 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Lumpkin, Lancashire, which may have influenced the spelling of their surname.
Notable individuals with the Lumpkins surname include:
1. Robert Lumpkins (1706-1772), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England.
2. Elizabeth Lumpkins (1774-1843), an English novelist and poet known for her romantic fiction.
3. John Lumpkins (1822-1901), an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Georgia from 1875 to 1879.
4. William Lumpkins (1861-1928), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Savoy Hotel.
5. Mary Lumpkins (1925-2005), an American civil rights activist and educator who fought for desegregation in Southern schools.
While the Lumpkins surname may have humble beginnings as a descriptive nickname, it has endured for centuries and been carried by individuals from various walks of life, leaving an indelible mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lumpkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumpkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lumpkins 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 Lumpkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.5% · 1,202
- Black or African American40.0% · 934
- Two or more races5.4% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lumpkins
Lumpkins 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
#12,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,434
+127 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 337 places
2020
#12,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,335
-99 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,352 | 2,307 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,689 | 2,434 | 0.83 | +127 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 337 places |
| 2020 | #12,627 | 2,335 | 0.78 | -99 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 62 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 Lumpkins 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 | #12,689 | #12,627 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,434 | 2,335 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.78 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lumpkins bearers went from 2,434 to 2,335 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,689 to #12,627.
FAQ
Lumpkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lumpkins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,678 living Americans carry the surname Lumpkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,989 residents.
How common is Lumpkins?
Lumpkins ranks #12,627 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,335 people with the surname Lumpkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,678), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Lumpkins.
Has Lumpkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lumpkins went from 2,434 recorded bearers to 2,335. That is a decrease of 99 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,689 to #12,627.
What does the Census say about the background of Lumpkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumpkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Lumpkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (1,202 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lumpkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.5%), Black (40.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Lumpkins (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 Lumpkins mean?
Derived from the Old English word "lompecyn," meaning a lump of clay or an awkward, clumsy person. 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 Lumpkins (0.78 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 Lumpkins?
Want to know how many people have the surname Lumpkins? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.