2000
#3,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.95
Uncommon Last name
Somers
Derived from a place name meaning "summer pasture" or "summer house" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,904 Americans carry the last name Somers. That puts it at #3,373 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Somers 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 Somers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,793
Census rank
#3,373
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,381 bearers of the surname Somers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3373rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Somers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Somers
The surname Somers has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "sumor" meaning summer and "aern" meaning house or cottage, suggesting it referred to a summer dwelling or a place where people lived during the summer months.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Summersete" in Somerset. This indicates that the name was likely associated with a specific location or settlement in that region.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Sumers, Sumeris, and Somers, reflecting the evolution of spelling over time. It is also thought to have been influenced by the Old French word "somer," meaning a pack animal or a burden-bearer.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Somers was Sir John Somers (c. 1651-1716), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1697 to 1700. He played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the establishment of constitutional monarchy in England.
Another notable figure was John Somers, 1st Baron Somers (1652-1716), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1693 to 1700. He was a prominent advocate for religious tolerance and was instrumental in the Act of Settlement of 1701, which established the line of succession to the British throne.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Somers was Benjamin Somers (c. 1715-1804), a revolutionary soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
The surname Somers is also associated with several place names, such as Somers Town in London, Somers Point in New Jersey, and Somers, Connecticut. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or were named after individuals bearing the Somers name.
Other notable individuals with the surname Somers include:
1. Richard Somers (1778-1804), an American naval officer who served during the Barbary Wars and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
2. John Somers, Baron Somers (1784-1835), a British politician and landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire.
3. Martha Somers (1892-1962), an American novelist and short story writer known for her works about life in the American South.
4. John Somers (1651-1737), an English politician and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1707 to 1708.
5. Shirley Somers (1935-2020), an American actress and author best known for her role in the television series "Hazel."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Somers
Among Census respondents with the surname Somers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Somers 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 Somers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 9,258
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 396
- Two or more races3.0% · 310
- Black or African American2.8% · 295
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Somers
Somers 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
#3,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,762
+103 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.65
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#3,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,381
-381 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,115 | 10,659 | 3.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,333 | 10,762 | 3.65 | +103 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #3,373 | 10,381 | 3.47 | -381 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 40 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 Somers 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 | #3,333 | #3,373 | -1.2% |
| Count | 10,762 | 10,381 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.65 | 3.47 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Somers bearers went from 10,762 to 10,381 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,333 to #3,373.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Somers
FAQ
Somers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Somers?
Name Census estimates that about 11,904 living Americans carry the surname Somers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,793 residents.
How common is Somers?
Somers ranks #3,373 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,381 people with the surname Somers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,904), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Somers.
Has Somers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Somers went from 10,762 recorded bearers to 10,381. That is a decrease of 381 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,333 to #3,373.
What does the Census say about the background of Somers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Somers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Somers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (9,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Somers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Somers (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 Somers mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "summer pasture" or "summer house" in Old English. 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 Somers (3.47 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 common is the surname Somers?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Somers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.