2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sumbera
A Slavic surname likely derived from the word "sumba" meaning pine or fir tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Sumbera. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sumbera 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Sumbera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumbera, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sumbera
The surname Sumbera is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Czech word "sumbr," which means "bison" or "aurochs," an extinct species of large wild cattle that once roamed the forests of Central and Eastern Europe. The name likely referred to someone who lived in an area where these animals were prevalent or perhaps a hunter or trapper of bisons.
One of the earliest known records of the name Sumbera dates back to the 14th century in the Bohemian town of Nymburk, where a man named Petr Sumbera was mentioned in a local parish register in the year 1376. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the Sumbera name appeared in several historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia, including a land deed from 1452 that mentions a Vaclav Sumbera as a landowner in the village of Lhota. This indicates that some members of the family had achieved a degree of wealth and status during this period.
One notable figure in the history of the Sumbera name was Jan Sumbera, a Bohemian Protestant reformer who lived from around 1520 to 1585. He was a follower of the teachings of Jan Hus and played a significant role in the Hussite movement, which sought to reform the Catholic Church in Bohemia.
Another prominent individual with the Sumbera surname was Jakub Sumbera (1573-1642), a Czech composer and organist who served at the Church of Our Lady before Týn in Prague. His works, which included sacred motets and other church music, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was Karel Sumbera (1810-1876), a Czech writer and journalist who was active in the Czech National Revival movement. He wrote several historical novels and plays that helped to promote Czech language and culture during a time when the region was under the rule of the Austrian Empire.
While the Sumbera name has its roots in the Czech Republic, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, where it was first established as a surname centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sumbera
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumbera, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sumbera 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 Sumbera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sumbera
Sumbera 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-10 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,949 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 15,949 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,164 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 Sumbera 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 | #135,593 | #145,757 | -7.5% |
| Count | 124 | 115 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sumbera bearers went from 124 to 115 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #145,757.
FAQ
Sumbera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sumbera?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Sumbera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Sumbera?
Sumbera ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Sumbera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Sumbera.
Has Sumbera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sumbera went from 124 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Sumbera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumbera, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Sumbera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sumbera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (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 Sumbera (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 Sumbera mean?
A Slavic surname likely derived from the word "sumba" meaning pine or fir tree. 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 Sumbera (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 people have the last name Sumbera?
You can see how many people have the last name Sumbera on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.