2000
#4,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,504
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.78
Rare Last name
Sumpter
An occupational surname for one who drove pack animals or worked as a driver of horses or mules.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,767 Americans carry the last name Sumpter. That puts it at #4,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,096 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sumpter 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 Sumpter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,096
Census rank
#4,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,645 bearers of the surname Sumpter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumpter, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sumpter
The surname Sumpter originated in England, likely deriving from the Old English word "sumptere," which referred to a person who transported goods on pack animals, such as a mule or a horse. The name is thought to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sumpter can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Sumptere" or "Sumpter," indicating its use as an occupational surname for those engaged in the transportation of goods.
During the Middle Ages, the Sumpter surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, where trade routes and the transportation of goods were significant activities. The name may also be associated with certain place names, such as Sumpter's Green in Hertfordshire or Sumpter's Hill in Buckinghamshire.
Historically notable individuals with the surname Sumpter include William Sumpter (c. 1460-1536), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, and Sir Thomas Sumpter (1535-1605), a prominent English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was John Sumpter (1617-1689), a Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the Great Migration to New England in the 17th century. He served as a minister in several towns in Massachusetts and published several religious works.
In the 18th century, James Sumpter (1726-1799) was a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a successful merchant and landowner in Virginia. He was also involved in the early development of the city of Richmond.
During the 19th century, William Sumpter (1832-1913) was a prominent architect in London, known for his work on several churches and public buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall.
Throughout its history, the surname Sumpter has maintained its association with trade, transportation, and commerce, reflecting the occupational origins of the name and the important role played by those engaged in the movement of goods and materials.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sumpter
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumpter, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sumpter 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 Sumpter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.0% · 3,824
- Black or African American40.5% · 3,099
- Two or more races4.8% · 369
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 242
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sumpter
Sumpter 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
#4,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,950
+446 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#4,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,645
-305 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,375 | 7,504 | 2.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,467 | 7,950 | 2.70 | +446 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #4,514 | 7,645 | 2.56 | -305 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 47 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 Sumpter 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 | #4,467 | #4,514 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,950 | 7,645 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 2.56 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sumpter bearers went from 7,950 to 7,645 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,467 to #4,514.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sumpter
FAQ
Sumpter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sumpter?
Name Census estimates that about 8,767 living Americans carry the surname Sumpter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,096 residents.
How common is Sumpter?
Sumpter ranks #4,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 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 7,645 people with the surname Sumpter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 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 Sumpter.
Has Sumpter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sumpter went from 7,950 recorded bearers to 7,645. That is a decrease of 305 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,467 to #4,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Sumpter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumpter, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Sumpter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (3,824 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sumpter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.0%), Black (40.5%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Sumpter (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 Sumpter mean?
An occupational surname for one who drove pack animals or worked as a driver of horses or mules. 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 Sumpter (2.56 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 surname Sumpter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.