2000
#29,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 744
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Mimbs
An English surname possibly derived from a dialect term meaning "humble" or "meek".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 873 Americans carry the last name Mimbs. That puts it at #32,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 392,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mimbs 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
873
1 in 392,617
Census rank
#32,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
761
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 761 bearers of the surname Mimbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mimbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mimbs
The surname MIMBS is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "mimm," which referred to a person who was skilled in pantomime or mimicry.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name MIMBS can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Mimbs was listed as a resident in 1587. This suggests that the surname may have initially been concentrated in the East Anglian region of England.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of the country, with records indicating the presence of MIMBS families in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. One notable bearer of the name during this period was William Mimbs, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the transatlantic trade with the American colonies.
The MIMBS surname is also closely associated with the village of Mimbury in Oxfordshire, which may have been named after an early bearer of the name or vice versa. This connection is supported by records from the late 16th century that mention a Thomas Mimbs as a landowner in the area.
As the centuries passed, the name MIMBS continued to be found across various regions of England, with some bearers achieving notable positions. For instance, Samuel Mimbs (1738-1812) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Maldon in Essex.
Other notable individuals with the surname MIMBS include:
1. Robert Mimbs (1812-1892), an English artist renowned for his landscape paintings.
2. Elizabeth Mimbs (1856-1934), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in higher education.
3. James Mimbs (1875-1947), a successful industrialist and philanthropist who established the Mimbs Foundation.
4. William Mimbs (1901-1981), a celebrated actor and playwright who gained critical acclaim for his performances on the London stage.
5. Margaret Mimbs (1922-2005), a renowned botanist and conservationist who played a key role in preserving several endangered plant species.
While the MIMBS surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mimbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Mimbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mimbs 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 Mimbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 674
- Black or African American4.2% · 32
- Two or more races3.4% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mimbs
Mimbs 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
#30,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 760
+16 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 850 places
2020
#32,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 761
+1 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,815 | 744 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,665 | 760 | 0.26 | +16 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 850 places |
| 2020 | #32,405 | 761 | 0.25 | +1 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 1,740 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 Mimbs 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 | #30,665 | #32,405 | -5.7% |
| Count | 760 | 761 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.25 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mimbs bearers went from 760 to 761 (+0.1% change). The surname moved down 1,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,665 to #32,405.
FAQ
Mimbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mimbs?
Name Census estimates that about 873 living Americans carry the surname Mimbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 392,617 residents.
How common is Mimbs?
Mimbs ranks #32,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 761 people with the surname Mimbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (873), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Mimbs.
Has Mimbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mimbs went from 760 recorded bearers to 761. That is an increase of 1 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,665 to #32,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Mimbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mimbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mimbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (674 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mimbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Black (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mimbs (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 Mimbs mean?
An English surname possibly derived from a dialect term meaning "humble" or "meek". 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 Mimbs (0.25 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 Mimbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.