2000
#76,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Macomb
Derived from Scottish Gaelic, a locational surname referring to a person from Cambuslang, Lanarkshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 279 Americans carry the last name Macomb. That puts it at #83,373 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,228,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macomb 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
279
1 in 1,228,510
Census rank
#83,373
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
243
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 243 bearers of the surname Macomb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83373rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macomb
The surname MACOMB has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the late 13th century. The name is believed to derive from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "comb" meaning "curved," possibly referring to a bend in a river or the shape of a valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACOMB name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls rendered to Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The name appears as "MacComb," suggesting its initial spelling variations.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the MACOMB family was concentrated in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire in western Scotland. Records from this period show individuals with the name holding lands and serving as lairds or minor nobility.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname MACOMB was John MacComb (c. 1520-1589), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Galloway from 1568 until his death. He played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was a supporter of the Reformed faith.
Another influential MACOMB was Alexander Macomb (1748-1831), an American military officer who served as the Commanding General of the United States Army from 1828 until his death. Born in Detroit, he played a crucial role in the War of 1812 and is credited with securing the surrender of Fort Detroit from the British.
The name MACOMB also has connections to place names, such as Macomb County in Michigan, which was named after General Alexander Macomb. Additionally, the city of Macomb, Illinois, was named after the Macomb family, who were early settlers in the area.
Other notable individuals with the MACOMB surname include William Macomb (1809-1872), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the New York Life Insurance Company, and David Macomb (1774-1858), an American military officer and politician who served as a Brigadier General during the War of 1812.
Over the centuries, the MACOMB name has been subject to various spelling variations, such as MacCombe, MacComb, and McComb, reflecting the fluidity of spellings in earlier periods. However, the core meaning and Scottish origins of the name have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macomb
Among Census respondents with the surname Macomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Macomb 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 Macomb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.6% · 21
- Two or more races7.0% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 8
- Black or African American2.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macomb
Macomb 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
#73,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
+31 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 3,236 places
2020
#83,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
-21 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 9,909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,700 | 233 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,464 | 264 | 0.09 | +31 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 3,236 places |
| 2020 | #83,373 | 243 | 0.08 | -21 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 9,909 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 Macomb 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 | #73,464 | #83,373 | -13.5% |
| Count | 264 | 243 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macomb bearers went from 264 to 243 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 9,909 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,464 to #83,373.
FAQ
Macomb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macomb?
Name Census estimates that about 279 living Americans carry the surname Macomb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,228,510 residents.
How common is Macomb?
Macomb ranks #83,373 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 243 people with the surname Macomb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Macomb.
Has Macomb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macomb went from 264 recorded bearers to 243. That is a decrease of 21 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #73,464 to #83,373.
What does the Census say about the background of Macomb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Macomb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macomb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%), Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Macomb (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 Macomb mean?
Derived from Scottish Gaelic, a locational surname referring to a person from Cambuslang, Lanarkshire. 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 Macomb (0.08 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 are called Macomb?
Want to know how common the surname Macomb is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.