Find out how popular the last name Newcomb is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Newcomb.

Newcomb, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Newcomb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Newcomb in America

Newcomb is the 2534th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Newcomb surname appeared 14,292 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Newcomb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Newcomb to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Newcomb

The surname Newcomb has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 11th century. It is a locational name, derived from various place names such as Newcomb in Devonshire or Newcome in Lincolnshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new and "cumb" meaning a valley, referring to someone who lived in a newly-settled valley or hamlet.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Nivecombe" in Somerset. In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Neucome," "Neucumen," and "Newecombe" in various records and charters from across England.

The earliest recorded person with the surname Newcomb was William de Newecumbe, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire in 1195. Another notable early bearer of the name was Roger de Newcombe, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1273.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Newcomb have achieved prominence. One such person was Thomas Newcomb (1627-1681), an English nonconformist clergyman and writer who was ejected from his living during the Great Ejection of 1662. Another notable figure was Simon Newcomb (1835-1909), a Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician who made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motions of the planets.

Other notable bearers of the surname include Avery Newcomb (1792-1851), an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from New York, and Harry Newcomb (1893-1982), an American film editor who won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the 1949 film "Champion."

In the 16th and 17th centuries, several variations of the name emerged, such as Newcombe, Newcomen, and Newcombe, reflecting the different regional pronunciations and spellings of the name across England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Newcomb

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Newcomb.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Newcomb was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Newcomb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Newcomb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Newcomb, please contact us.

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