Newsom last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Newsom

A locational surname derived from several places in England, likely referring to a "new home" or settlement.

Newsom, 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 Newsom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Newsom in America

Newsom is the 3218th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Newsom surname appeared 11,218 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Newsom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Newsom 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 3218 3040 5.69%
Count 11,218 10,930 2.60%
Proportion per 100k 3.80 4.05 -6.37%

The history of the last name Newsom

The surname Newsom is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from various place names in England, such as Newsham or Newsholme. These place names are thought to be derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new and "ham" meaning homestead or settlement, indicating a new village or farmstead.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Newsom can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Newesham" in reference to a location in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show a William de Newesham in Yorkshire, and in the 14th century, there are references to a John de Newsom in Lancashire. These early recordings highlight the variations in spelling that were common during those times.

The surname Newsom has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Sir Roger Newsom (c. 1590-1644), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Guildford during the English Civil War.

Another prominent figure was John Newsom (1677-1756), an English merchant and shipowner from Bristol, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade during the 18th century.

In the United States, one of the earliest documented instances of the Newsom surname can be found in the records of John Newsom (c. 1658-1724), an English immigrant who settled in Virginia in the late 17th century.

Other notable individuals with the Newsom surname include William Newsom (1753-1831), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia, and Nathaniel Newsom (1809-1895), a prominent farmer and landowner in Mississippi in the 19th century.

The name Newsom has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Newsham in Yorkshire, Newsholme in Lancashire, and Newsome in West Yorkshire. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname throughout the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Newsom

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

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 Newsom was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 75.31% 8,448
Non-Hispanic Black Only 18.24% 2,046
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.63% 71
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.84% 94
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.27% 255
Hispanic Origin 2.71% 304

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 Newsom has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 75.31% 77.75% -3.19%
Black 18.24% 17.84% 2.22%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.63% 0.31% 68.09%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.84% 0.88% -4.65%
Two or More Races 2.27% 1.42% 46.07%
Hispanic 2.71% 1.80% 40.35%

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 Newsom was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Newsom last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 12, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/newsom-surname-popularity/.

"Newsom last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/newsom-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 October, 2024

Newsom last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/newsom-surname-popularity/.

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