2000
#6,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,201
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Newcomer
A surname given to a recent arrival or settler in a new community or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,835 Americans carry the last name Newcomer. That puts it at #6,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newcomer 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
5.8K
1 in 58,741
Census rank
#6,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,088 bearers of the surname Newcomer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newcomer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newcomer
The surname Newcomer is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It was initially derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new and "cuman" meaning to come, which together formed the descriptive term "newcomer." This surname was given as a nickname to those who had recently arrived in a particular area or community, distinguishing them as new inhabitants.
In England, the earliest recorded instances of the surname Newcomer can be traced back to the 13th century. One notable example is found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, which mentions a John le Newecomer. This record provides evidence of the surname's existence and usage during that time period.
The Newcomer surname is also connected to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Newcumen in Lincolnshire may have contributed to the surname's development, as people from that area could have been referred to as "Newcomers" when they settled elsewhere.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Newcomer have made notable contributions. One such figure was Thomas Newcomer (1663-1745), a prominent English Quaker minister and missionary who traveled extensively in Ireland and America. Another was John Newcomer (1718-1776), an early American settler who played a role in the French and Indian War.
In the United States, the Newcomer surname can be traced back to the colonial era. John Newcomer (1691-1760), a German immigrant, was among the earliest bearers of the name in America, arriving in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. His descendants went on to establish communities in various parts of the country.
Other notable individuals with the surname Newcomer include Henry Newcomer (1808-1892), an American politician and member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland, and Jonathan Newcomer (1800-1881), a prominent Lutheran minister and educator who served as the first president of Wittenberg College in Ohio.
While the Newcomer surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, due to migration and the broader distribution of English culture and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newcomer
Among Census respondents with the surname Newcomer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Newcomer 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 Newcomer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 4,673
- Two or more races3.9% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newcomer
Newcomer 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
#6,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,263
+62 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 361 places
2020
#6,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,088
-175 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,088 | 5,201 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,449 | 5,263 | 1.78 | +62 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 361 places |
| 2020 | #6,426 | 5,088 | 1.70 | -175 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 23 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 Newcomer 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 | #6,449 | #6,426 | 0.4% |
| Count | 5,263 | 5,088 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.70 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newcomer bearers went from 5,263 to 5,088 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,449 to #6,426.
FAQ
Newcomer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newcomer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,835 living Americans carry the surname Newcomer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,741 residents.
How common is Newcomer?
Newcomer ranks #6,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,088 people with the surname Newcomer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Newcomer.
Has Newcomer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newcomer went from 5,263 recorded bearers to 5,088. That is a decrease of 175 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,449 to #6,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Newcomer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newcomer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Newcomer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (4,673 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newcomer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Newcomer (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 Newcomer mean?
A surname given to a recent arrival or settler in a new community or location. 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 Newcomer (1.70 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 share the surname Newcomer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.