2000
#3,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,927
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.31
Uncommon Last name
Mccombs
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacThomais," meaning "son of Thomas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,082 Americans carry the last name Mccombs. That puts it at #3,918 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccombs 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
10K
1 in 33,997
Census rank
#3,918
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,792 bearers of the surname Mccombs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3918th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccombs, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccombs
The surname McCOMBS originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Mac Cumaigh" meaning "son of the crooked one." This name likely referred to an ancestor's physical appearance or stature.
The name is found in early Scottish records and charters, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296 which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One of the earliest recorded bearers was John McComby, a Scottish merchant who lived in Edinburgh in the late 14th century.
By the 16th century, the name had spread throughout Scotland and various spellings emerged such as McCoam, McComb, and McCombie. The McCOMBS spelling seems to have become more prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands and Borders region.
Historical references to the name include Alexander McComb, a Scottish soldier who fought for the Jacobite cause during the 1715 and 1745 rebellions. He was captured at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and later pardoned.
The name is also associated with several place names in Scotland such as McComb's Hill in Ayrshire and McComb's Burn, a stream near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. These places likely derived their names from early McCOMBS landowners or residents.
Notable bearers of the surname include John McCOMBS (1748-1812), an Irish-born American architect who designed several buildings in New York City including the Old St. Patrick's Cathedral. Another was Louisa McCOMBS (1857-1927), an American artist and illustrator known for her floral paintings and book illustrations.
Other prominent people include William McCOMBS (1793-1873), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as Secretary of State under President James K. Polk. Robert McCOMBS (1882-1944) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of parliament.
These examples illustrate the long history of the McCOMBS surname and its enduring presence across various regions and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccombs
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccombs, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccombs 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 Mccombs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 6,737
- Black or African American14.0% · 1,230
- Two or more races4.7% · 409
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 287
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccombs
Mccombs 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
#3,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,134
+207 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#3,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,792
-342 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,656 | 8,927 | 3.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,882 | 9,134 | 3.10 | +207 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #3,918 | 8,792 | 2.94 | -342 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 36 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 Mccombs 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 | #3,882 | #3,918 | -0.9% |
| Count | 9,134 | 8,792 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.10 | 2.94 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccombs bearers went from 9,134 to 8,792 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,882 to #3,918.
FAQ
Mccombs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccombs?
Name Census estimates that about 10,082 living Americans carry the surname Mccombs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,997 residents.
How common is Mccombs?
Mccombs ranks #3,918 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,792 people with the surname Mccombs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mccombs.
Has Mccombs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccombs went from 9,134 recorded bearers to 8,792. That is a decrease of 342 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,882 to #3,918.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccombs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccombs, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mccombs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (6,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccombs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mccombs (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 Mccombs mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacThomais," meaning "son of Thomas." 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 Mccombs (2.94 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 Mccombs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.