2000
#8,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Macomber
A Scottish occupational surname for a comb maker or seller, derived from the Gaelic "Mac a' Choimheadair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,182 Americans carry the last name Macomber. That puts it at #8,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macomber 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
4.2K
1 in 81,959
Census rank
#8,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,647 bearers of the surname Macomber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macomber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macomber
The surname MACOMBER has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place name in Cornwall or Devon, possibly a corruption of the Cornish word "macommogh," meaning "son of the monk."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACOMBER name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire in 1242, where one Richard de Macomber is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name was also found in the records of the Hundred Rolls, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The spelling variations included "Macomber," "Macombre," and "Makamber."
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MACOMBER family seemed to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties like Somerset and Dorset.
One notable MACOMBER was Thomas Macomber, who was born in 1614 in Dorset. He later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, becoming one of the early settlers of the town of Marshfield.
Another significant figure was John Macomber, born in 1620 in Somerset, England. He came to New England in 1640 and settled in Taunton, Massachusetts, where he became a prominent landowner and served as a selectman.
In the 18th century, the MACOMBER name continued to be found in various parts of New England, with individuals such as William Macomber (1704-1785) of Middleborough, Massachusetts, who served as a soldier in the French and Indian War.
One of the most illustrious MACOMBERS was John Macomber II (1768-1841), a wealthy merchant and ship owner from Boston. He was involved in the China trade and amassed a substantial fortune.
Another notable MACOMBER was William Macomber (1799-1888), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Rochester, New York. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Western Union Telegraph Company and donated generously to educational institutions.
While the MACOMBER name has its roots in England, it has since become widely dispersed across various parts of the world, particularly in North America, where many descendants of the early immigrants settled and established themselves.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macomber
Among Census respondents with the surname Macomber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Macomber 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 Macomber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,340
- Two or more races3.2% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 54
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macomber
Macomber 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
#8,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,047
+381 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 111 places
2020
#8,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,647
-400 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,312 | 3,666 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,201 | 4,047 | 1.37 | +381 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 111 places |
| 2020 | #8,636 | 3,647 | 1.22 | -400 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 435 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 Macomber 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 | #8,201 | #8,636 | -5.3% |
| Count | 4,047 | 3,647 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.22 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macomber bearers went from 4,047 to 3,647 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 435 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,201 to #8,636.
FAQ
Macomber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macomber?
Name Census estimates that about 4,182 living Americans carry the surname Macomber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,959 residents.
How common is Macomber?
Macomber ranks #8,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,647 people with the surname Macomber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Macomber.
Has Macomber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macomber went from 4,047 recorded bearers to 3,647. That is a decrease of 400 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,201 to #8,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Macomber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macomber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Macomber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macomber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Macomber (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 Macomber mean?
A Scottish occupational surname for a comb maker or seller, derived from the Gaelic "Mac a' Choimheadair." 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 Macomber (1.22 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 surname Macomber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.