2000
#12,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Mumma
Derived from the German surname Mumme, referring to a person who was a maker or seller of mumme, a type of beer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,601 Americans carry the last name Mumma. That puts it at #12,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,778 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mumma 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
2.6K
1 in 131,778
Census rank
#12,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,268 bearers of the surname Mumma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mumma, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mumma
The surname MUMMA is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was likely derived from the Middle High German word "mumme," meaning "aunt" or "mother's sister." This surname likely emerged during the late Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries.
Initially, the name was likely used as a descriptive nickname, referring to a person's relationship to their maternal aunt or as a term of endearment for an older woman. Over time, these nicknames became hereditary surnames, passed down through families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MUMMA can be found in the town of Mühlhausen, in the German state of Thuringia, where a family by the name of Mumma is mentioned in historical records dating back to the 16th century.
Another notable early reference to the surname MUMMA is found in the town of Lichtenfels, in the German state of Bavaria, where a Johann MUMMA is recorded as a resident in the year 1598.
As people bearing the surname MUMMA migrated and settled in different regions, variations in spelling emerged, including Mumma, Momma, and Mummau.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname MUMMA was Hans MUMMA, a German immigrant to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. He settled in what is now York County, Pennsylvania, in 1738.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Christian MUMMA (1735-1811), a prominent farmer and landowner in Maryland during the American Revolutionary War. He was a supporter of the Patriot cause and provided supplies to the Continental Army.
In the 19th century, Jacob MUMMA (1819-1888) was a successful businessman and banker in Pennsylvania, establishing the Mumma Bank in Huntingdon County.
Elizabeth MUMMA (1861-1941), born in Ohio, was an educator and advocate for women's rights, serving as the president of the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association from 1912 to 1920.
Ralph MUMMA (1897-1986), born in Pennsylvania, was a renowned architect and urban planner, known for his work on the design of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mumma
Among Census respondents with the surname Mumma, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mumma 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 Mumma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,092
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 68
- Two or more races2.8% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mumma
Mumma 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
#13,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
+21 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 792 places
2020
#12,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,268
-91 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,218 | 2,338 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,010 | 2,359 | 0.80 | +21 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 792 places |
| 2020 | #12,950 | 2,268 | 0.76 | -91 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 60 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 Mumma 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 | #13,010 | #12,950 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,359 | 2,268 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.76 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mumma bearers went from 2,359 to 2,268 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,010 to #12,950.
FAQ
Mumma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mumma?
Name Census estimates that about 2,601 living Americans carry the surname Mumma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,778 residents.
How common is Mumma?
Mumma ranks #12,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,268 people with the surname Mumma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,601), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Mumma.
Has Mumma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mumma went from 2,359 recorded bearers to 2,268. That is a decrease of 91 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,010 to #12,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Mumma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mumma, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mumma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,092 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mumma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mumma (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 Mumma mean?
Derived from the German surname Mumme, referring to a person who was a maker or seller of mumme, a type of beer. 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 Mumma (0.76 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 last name Mumma?
Want to know how common the surname Mumma is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.