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

Ransome, 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 Ransome surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ransome in America

Ransome is the 17005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ransome surname appeared 1,671 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ransome.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ransome 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 Ransome

The surname Ransome has its origins in England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'ra' meaning roe deer and 'holme' meaning a river island or dry ground surrounded by marsh or water. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small island or raised ground where deer roamed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled as 'Ranholm'. In the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, the name is listed as 'Raunholm'. These variations highlight the evolution of the spelling over time.

The Ransome surname can be traced back to several locations in England, including Ransom in Nottinghamshire, Ransom in Derbyshire, and Ransome in Lincolnshire. The name is also linked to the village of Ramsholt in Suffolk, which was recorded as 'Raundesholte' in the Domesday Book of 1086.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Ransom, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195. In the 13th century, a man named William Ransom was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1221.

Notable historical figures with the Ransome surname include:

1. Robert Ransome (1753-1830), an English agricultural engineer and founder of the Ransome's company, which manufactured agricultural machinery.
2. James Ransome (1782-1849), an English ironfounder and agricultural engineer, son of Robert Ransome.
3. Frederick Ransome (1868-1935), a British civil engineer and inventor of the Ransome system of reinforced concrete construction.
4. Arthur Ransome (1884-1967), a renowned English author and journalist, best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of children's books.
5. Hilda Ransome (1876-1951), a British physician and women's rights activist, known for her work in promoting birth control and family planning.

The Ransome surname has a rich history rooted in the English countryside and has been associated with various occupations, including engineering, agriculture, and literature, over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ransome

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

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

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

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