2000
#1,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.76
Uncommon Last name
Mims
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a marsh or mound."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,506 Americans carry the last name Mims. That puts it at #1,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mims 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
22K
1 in 15,938
Census rank
#1,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,754 bearers of the surname Mims in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mims, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mims
The surname Mims has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mim," meaning "maternal uncle" or "kinsman." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who held a respected position within an extended family or clan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mims appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, dated 1292, which mentions a Roger de Mimes. This document provides evidence that the name had already taken on its modern spelling by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Mims surname can be found in various records from the county of Sussex. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Mymes, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 reference a William Mymmes. These variations in spelling were common during this period, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.
The Mims name gained prominence in the 16th century, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such figure was Thomas Mims (c. 1510-1590), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Huntingdon from 1568 until his death.
Another notable bearer of the Mims name was Sir John Mims (1572-1638), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for East Grinstead in Sussex. He was knighted by King James I in 1617 and played a significant role in local affairs during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, the Mims surname spread beyond its English origins. The first recorded instance of the name in America dates back to 1635, when Richard Mims arrived in Virginia from England and established himself as a planter.
The 18th century saw the rise of another prominent figure with the Mims surname: Joseph Mims (1737-1808), a Virginia planter and Revolutionary War veteran. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781.
As the centuries progressed, the Mims surname continued to be represented by individuals of note. In the 19th century, Reverend John Mims (1800-1876) was a prominent Baptist minister and educator in South Carolina, founding the Furman Theological Institute, which later became Furman University.
Throughout its history, the Mims surname has been associated with various place names, such as Mims Ecclesia in Norfolk, Mims Court in Sussex, and Mims Chapel in Virginia. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Mims surname who held significant roles or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mims
Among Census respondents with the surname Mims, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mims 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 Mims surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.6% · 9,495
- White40.4% · 7,571
- Two or more races5.1% · 959
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 593
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mims
Mims 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
#1,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,139
+891 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 6.49
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#1,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,754
-385 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 6.27
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,808 | 18,248 | 6.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,878 | 19,139 | 6.49 | +891 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #1,878 | 18,754 | 6.27 | -385 bearers (-2.0%) | No rank change |
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 Mims 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 | #1,878 | #1,878 | 0.0% |
| Count | 19,139 | 18,754 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.49 | 6.27 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mims bearers went from 19,139 to 18,754 (-2.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #1,878.
FAQ
Mims surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mims?
Name Census estimates that about 21,506 living Americans carry the surname Mims. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,938 residents.
How common is Mims?
Mims ranks #1,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,754 people with the surname Mims. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,506), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mims.
Has Mims become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mims went from 19,139 recorded bearers to 18,754. That is a decrease of 385 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it stayed at #1,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Mims?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mims, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mims in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.6% (9,495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mims appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.6%), White (40.4%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Mims (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 Mims mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a marsh or mound." 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 Mims (6.27 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 Mims?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.