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

Summer, 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 Summer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Summer in America

Summer is the 11355th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Summer surname appeared 2,778 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Summer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Summer 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 Summer

The surname "SUMMER" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "sumor," meaning the season of summer. This name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was born or had a significant event occur during the summer months.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SUMMER" can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275 mention a Robert le Sumere, and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 record a John Sumer in Oxfordshire.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in various ecclesiastical records, such as the Register of the Gild of the Holy Trinity in Coventry from 1453, which lists a Richard Somer. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524 also include a John Somer from Gloucestershire.

As the name spread across England, it evolved into different spellings, including Somer, Sommer, and Somers. Some of these variations were influenced by place names, such as Somerton in Somerset, which may have contributed to the Somerton or Sommerton spellings.

Notable historical figures with the surname "SUMMER" include:

1. Sir George Somers (c. 1554-1610), an English naval officer and colonist who was instrumental in the early settlement of Bermuda.
2. William Somers (c. 1540-1589), an English academic and clergyman who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
3. John Somers, 1st Baron Somers (1651-1716), an English Whig jurist and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of England.
4. John Somers, 2nd Baron Somers (1685-1766), a British nobleman and politician who served as Lord President of the Council.
5. Mary Somerville (1780-1872), a Scottish science writer and polymath who contributed significantly to the study of astronomy and geography.

While the surname "SUMMER" has a long history in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, becoming a common surname in various countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Summer

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

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

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

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