2000
#16,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,550
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Newcombe
A locational surname referring to a person from a newly established town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,779 Americans carry the last name Newcombe. That puts it at #17,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 192,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newcombe 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Newcombe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 192,667
Census rank
#17,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,551 bearers of the surname Newcombe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newcombe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newcombe
The surname Newcombe is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new and "cumb" meaning a valley or hollow. This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived in a new valley or settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Newcombe can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears in various spellings such as "Newecumbe" and "Newecumb." These entries indicate that individuals bearing this name were present in various counties across England, including Devon, Somerset, and Sussex.
During the 13th century, the name Newcombe began to appear in various records and manuscripts. One notable example is the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273, which mention a "William de Newecumbe." This document suggests that the name had spread to other regions of England by this time.
In the 14th century, the surname Newcombe continued to be recorded in various historical documents. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a "John de Newecombe," and the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1381 mention a "John Newcombe."
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname Newcombe was John Newcombe, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Newcombe, Devon, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Newcombe (1546-1615), a prominent lawyer and member of the Parliament of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name Newcombe was associated with several notable individuals. Thomas Newcombe (1590-1665) was a renowned English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Newes from the Bermudas." William Newcombe (1663-1737) was a prominent English antiquarian and historian who authored several works on the history of Hertfordshire.
During the 18th century, the surname Newcombe continued to be found across various regions of England. One notable figure was Thomas Pridgin Newcombe (1760-1828), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Order of the Bath.
In the 19th century, the name Newcombe was associated with several notable figures, including William Newcombe (1823-1895), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Henry Newcombe (1855-1921), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newcombe
Among Census respondents with the surname Newcombe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Newcombe 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 Newcombe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,298
- Black or African American6.2% · 96
- Two or more races5.4% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newcombe
Newcombe 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
#17,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,589
+39 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 737 places
2020
#17,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,551
-38 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,931 | 1,550 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,668 | 1,589 | 0.54 | +39 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 737 places |
| 2020 | #17,765 | 1,551 | 0.52 | -38 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 97 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 Newcombe 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 | #17,668 | #17,765 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,589 | 1,551 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.52 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newcombe bearers went from 1,589 to 1,551 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,668 to #17,765.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Newcombe
FAQ
Newcombe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newcombe?
Name Census estimates that about 1,779 living Americans carry the surname Newcombe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 192,667 residents.
How common is Newcombe?
Newcombe ranks #17,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,551 people with the surname Newcombe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Newcombe.
Has Newcombe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newcombe went from 1,589 recorded bearers to 1,551. That is a decrease of 38 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,668 to #17,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Newcombe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newcombe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Newcombe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,298 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newcombe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Newcombe (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 Newcombe mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from a newly established town or village. 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 Newcombe (0.52 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 Newcombe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.