2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rummings
An English habitational surname derived from the place name Rumming in Lancashire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Rummings. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rummings 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Rummings in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rummings, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rummings
The surname Rummings is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "rum" meaning "spacious" and "ing" meaning "people of," suggesting that the name referred to people who lived in a spacious or roomy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rummings surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rummingis." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century, and likely originated several centuries earlier.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Rummynges, Rumminges, and Rummyngys, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling practices at the time. The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, where several villages and hamlets bore names similar to Rummings, such as Rumming and Rummington.
Notable individuals bearing the Rummings surname throughout history include Sir John Rummings (1452-1526), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was William Rummings (1617-1692), a Puritan minister and author who immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Mary Rummings (1738-1802) was a well-known midwife and herbalist in the village of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. Her remedies and medical expertise were widely sought after in the region.
During the 19th century, Edward Rummings (1819-1891) was a notable architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Another notable figure was Sir Walter Rummings (1875-1952), a British diplomat and ambassador to several countries, including France and Japan.
While the surname Rummings is not among the most common in England, it has persisted throughout the centuries and can be traced back to its medieval origins in the southwest of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rummings
Among Census respondents with the surname Rummings, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rummings 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 Rummings surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rummings
Rummings 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,932 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+11 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 17,932 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 9,499 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 Rummings 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 | #153,769 | #144,270 | 6.2% |
| Count | 106 | 117 | 10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rummings bearers went from 106 to 117 (+10.4% change). The surname moved up 9,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #144,270.
FAQ
Rummings surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rummings?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Rummings. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Rummings?
Rummings ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Rummings. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rummings.
Has Rummings become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rummings went from 106 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 11 (+10.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Rummings?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rummings, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Rummings in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rummings appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (8.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Rummings (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 Rummings mean?
An English habitational surname derived from the place name Rumming in Lancashire, England. 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 Rummings (0.04 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 Rummings?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.