2000
#8,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Mitchum
Derived from a place name meaning "big settlement" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,169 Americans carry the last name Mitchum. That puts it at #8,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mitchum 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 82,215
Census rank
#8,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,636 bearers of the surname Mitchum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mitchum, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mitchum
The surname Mitchum is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "mycc" meaning "big" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived in a large village or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mitchum can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears as "Micheham", which was likely the spelling used at the time.
In the 14th century, the name was also documented in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire, where it was spelled as "Mitcham". This variation in spelling was common during that era, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.
The Mitchum surname is also associated with several place names across England. For example, Mitcham in Surrey was originally recorded as "Michelham" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that the surname may have derived from the place name in some cases.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mitchum was John Mitchum, who was born around 1450 in Gloucestershire, England. Another notable figure was Sir Edward Mitchum (1573-1642), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
During the 17th century, the Mitchum surname gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was William Mitchum, who was born in 1635 in Virginia and became a prominent landowner and planter.
In the 19th century, Robert Mitchum (1817-1891) was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Salford. Another notable figure was Robert Mitchum (1917-1997), an American actor and cultural icon known for his roles in classic films such as "Out of the Past" and "The Night of the Hunter".
Other notable individuals with the Mitchum surname include:
1. Charles Mitchum (1919-1995), an American actor and brother of Robert Mitchum.
2. Jonathan Mitchum (1919-1992), an American actor and nephew of Robert Mitchum.
3. Trini Mitchum (1934-2020), an American actress and daughter of Robert Mitchum.
4. Bentley Mitchum (born 1957), an American actor and grandson of Robert Mitchum.
The Mitchum surname has remained prominent throughout history, with its origins rooted in the English language and associated with various place names across England. While the spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time, the name has maintained its connection to its Old English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mitchum
Among Census respondents with the surname Mitchum, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mitchum 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 Mitchum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.4% · 2,595
- Black or African American20.2% · 734
- Two or more races4.0% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mitchum
Mitchum 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
#8,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,827
+176 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 263 places
2020
#8,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,636
-191 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,339 | 3,651 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,602 | 3,827 | 1.30 | +176 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 263 places |
| 2020 | #8,657 | 3,636 | 1.22 | -191 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 55 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 Mitchum 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 | #8,602 | #8,657 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,827 | 3,636 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.22 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mitchum bearers went from 3,827 to 3,636 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,602 to #8,657.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mitchum
FAQ
Mitchum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mitchum?
Name Census estimates that about 4,169 living Americans carry the surname Mitchum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,215 residents.
How common is Mitchum?
Mitchum ranks #8,657 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 3,636 people with the surname Mitchum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,169), 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 Mitchum.
Has Mitchum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mitchum went from 3,827 recorded bearers to 3,636. That is a decrease of 191 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,602 to #8,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Mitchum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mitchum, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mitchum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (2,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mitchum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.4%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mitchum (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 Mitchum mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "big settlement" in Old English. 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 Mitchum (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 common is the surname Mitchum?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Mitchum at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.