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

Presume, 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 Presume surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Presume in America

Presume is the 85049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Presume surname appeared 220 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Presume.

We can also compare 2010 data for Presume 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 Presume

The surname "PRESUME" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "presumer," which means "to assume or presume." This word has its roots in the Latin word "praesumere," which has a similar meaning.

The name likely emerged as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were known for their presumptuous or confident behavior. It may have been used as a nickname or a profession-related surname for those who worked in occupations that required a certain level of confidence or assertiveness, such as lawyers or merchants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "PRESUME" can be found in the Essex County Feet of Fines for the year 1292, where a person named John Presume is mentioned. Feet of Fines were legal documents used to record land transactions and property disputes in medieval England.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated around 1315. Here, a person named William Presume is recorded as a tenant or landowner within the manor's jurisdiction.

In the 16th century, the name "PRESUME" can be found in various parish records and tax rolls across different regions of England. For example, a Richard Presume was born in Exeter, Devon, in 1542, and a John Presume was listed as a taxpayer in the village of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, in the 1580s.

One notable bearer of the surname "PRESUME" was Sir John Presume, a wealthy merchant and alderman who lived in London during the late 16th and early 17th centuries (c. 1560-1635). He served as the Sheriff of London in 1605 and was knighted by King James I in 1617.

Another individual of note was Thomas Presume (1639-1700), an English Puritan minister and religious writer who served as the rector of All Saints' Church in Sutton, Bedfordshire, from 1663 until his death.

In the 18th century, the name "PRESUME" appears in various records related to the American colonies. For instance, a Joseph Presume is listed as a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1760s, while a William Presume is recorded as a landowner in Virginia in the late 1700s.

It is worth noting that while the surname "PRESUME" has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and various historical events. However, the specific details and origins of the name in other countries may differ from its English heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Presume

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!