2000
#5,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Passmore
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "path by a moor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,930 Americans carry the last name Passmore. That puts it at #5,556 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,460 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Passmore 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 Passmore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,460
Census rank
#5,556
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,043 bearers of the surname Passmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5556th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Passmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Passmore
The surname Passmore is of English origin, with its earliest recordings dating back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "pass" meaning a narrow passage or path, and "mor" meaning a moor or marsh. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a marshy area with a narrow path leading through it.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robertus de Passemore, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1196. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, making this one of the earliest documented instances of the surname.
The Passmore name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which were a series of inquisitions or surveys conducted during the reign of King Edward I. This record lists a William de Passemore, indicating the presence of the surname in that region during the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name is found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, where a Johannes Passmore is listed. The Poll Tax was a tax levied on every person above a certain age, providing valuable records of names and locations during that time.
One notable bearer of the Passmore name was John Passmore, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1637 to 1720. He served as the Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and was also a prebendary of Chichester Cathedral.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Benjamin Passmore, a British engineer and industrialist who lived from 1767 to 1848. He played a significant role in the development of early steam engines and was involved in the construction of several notable bridges and canals in England.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Passmore name is that of Thomas Passmore, who arrived in Pennsylvania from England in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country.
Other notable individuals with the Passmore surname include William Passmore, an English artist and engraver born in 1825, and John Passmore Edwards, a British journalist, publisher, and philanthropist who lived from 1823 to 1911 and was known for his support of public libraries and education.
While the Passmore name has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through emigration and settlement in other countries. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the locational descriptions of marshy areas with narrow paths.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Passmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Passmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Passmore 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 Passmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 4,556
- Black or African American15.1% · 915
- Two or more races4.4% · 268
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Passmore
Passmore 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
#5,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,314
+200 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#5,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,043
-271 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,245 | 6,114 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,510 | 6,314 | 2.14 | +200 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #5,556 | 6,043 | 2.02 | -271 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 46 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 Passmore 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 | #5,510 | #5,556 | -0.8% |
| Count | 6,314 | 6,043 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.02 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Passmore bearers went from 6,314 to 6,043 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,510 to #5,556.
FAQ
Passmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Passmore?
Name Census estimates that about 6,930 living Americans carry the surname Passmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,460 residents.
How common is Passmore?
Passmore ranks #5,556 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 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 6,043 people with the surname Passmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 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 Passmore.
Has Passmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Passmore went from 6,314 recorded bearers to 6,043. That is a decrease of 271 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,510 to #5,556.
What does the Census say about the background of Passmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Passmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Passmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (4,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Passmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Passmore (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 Passmore mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "path by a moor." 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 Passmore (2.02 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 Americans have the surname Passmore?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.