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

Sumba, 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 Sumba surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sumba in America

Sumba is the 65964th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sumba surname appeared 300 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 Sumba.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sumba 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 Sumba

The surname SUMBA is believed to have originated in Indonesia, specifically on the island of Sumba in the East Nusa Tenggara province. It is thought to have derived from the ancient Austronesian language spoken by the indigenous Sumbanese people, who inhabited the island for centuries.

The earliest known record of the name SUMBA can be traced back to the 16th century, when Portuguese explorer António de Julmim mentioned encountering the "Sumbawa" people during his voyage through the region. This is likely a reference to the Sumbanese, as the island was often referred to by various spellings and derivatives during that time.

In the 17th century, Dutch explorer Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoe documented his encounter with the "Soembawa" people on the island, further solidifying the name's connection to the region. The name SUMBA is believed to have originated from the island's original Austronesian name, which was likely a variation of "Sumbawa" or "Soembawa."

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SUMBA was Umbu Tamu Sumba, a local chieftain who lived in the late 18th century and was known for his leadership and negotiation skills with colonial powers. Another notable figure was Umbu Siwa Sumba (1780-1845), a prominent warrior and leader who played a significant role in resisting Dutch colonization efforts on the island.

In the 19th century, the name SUMBA gained wider recognition with the exploits of Umbu Hina Sumba (1815-1887), a respected elder and diplomat who helped facilitate trade agreements between the Sumbanese and Dutch East India Company. His son, Umbu Kamba Sumba (1850-1920), was a renowned artist and cultural preserver who documented the traditional arts and customs of the Sumbanese people.

The name SUMBA has also been associated with various place names on the island, such as Sumba Barat (West Sumba) and Sumba Timur (East Sumba), further reinforcing its strong geographic connection to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sumba

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

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

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

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