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

Rumsey, 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 Rumsey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rumsey in America

Rumsey is the 6497th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rumsey surname appeared 5,226 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rumsey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rumsey 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 Rumsey

The surname Rumsey is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the hamlet of Romesie in Hampshire, England. The name Romesie itself is believed to have its roots in the Old English words "rum" meaning roomy or spacious, and "ey" meaning island or dry land in a marsh.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Romesie, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1194. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the medieval period. This suggests that the Rumsey family had already established itself in Hampshire by the late 12th century.

The name Rumsey is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The village of Romesie is listed in the Domesday Book under the spelling "Romesie," further indicating the antiquity of the surname.

In the 13th century, Robert de Rumesy was a prominent figure who held lands in Hampshire and Somerset. He was also a signatory to the Barons' Letter of 1301, a document that demanded reforms from King Edward I.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Rumsey family played a significant role in the English Civil War. John Rumsey (1610-1692) was a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I, and his son, Thomas Rumsey (1638-1704), was a Member of Parliament for Lymington in Hampshire.

Another notable bearer of the name was Walter Rumsey (1584-1660), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who was a benefactor of the town of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. He funded the construction of the iconic Old Bridge over the River Thames and left a substantial portion of his estate for charitable purposes.

In the 18th century, Benjamin Rumsey (1734-1808) was a prominent English cricket player who played for Hampshire and was considered one of the leading batsmen of his era.

Throughout its history, the surname Rumsey has also been recorded with various spellings, such as Rumsie, Rumsy, Rumsy, and Romesey, reflecting the variations in local dialects and scribal practices of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rumsey

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

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

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

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