2000
#7,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,940
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Sumrall
An English habitational surname derived from a place meaning "summer hall" or "summer nook."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,346 Americans carry the last name Sumrall. That puts it at #8,364 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sumrall 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
4.3K
1 in 78,867
Census rank
#8,364
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,790 bearers of the surname Sumrall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8364th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumrall, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sumrall
The surname Sumrall has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sumer" and "halh," meaning "summer" and "nook" or "hollow," respectively. This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived in a summer dwelling or a sheltered area.
One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Sumerhal." This ancient document, compiled during the reign of King Edward I, served as a census and survey of landowners in the county.
During the 14th century, the name evolved to various spellings such as "Summerhale," "Somerhale," and "Somerhayll," reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. These early recordings can be found in historical documents like the Subsidy Rolls and Parish Registers of several English counties, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire.
The Sumrall name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was John Sumrall, born around 1520 in Oxfordshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a churchwarden in his local parish.
Another significant figure was William Sumrall, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who lived between 1580 and 1648. He played a role in the thriving maritime trade of his time and amassed considerable wealth.
In the 17th century, the Sumrall family established roots in the American colonies. Thomas Sumrall, born in 1625 in Gloucestershire, England, was among the early settlers in Virginia. He and his descendants contributed to the expansion and development of the New World.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Samuel Sumrall (1712-1785) was a respected farmer and landowner in North Carolina. He left a lasting legacy through his numerous offspring, many of whom carried on the family name in the region.
During the 19th century, the Sumrall name gained further prominence with the exploits of Colonel James Sumrall (1824-1892), a Confederate officer from Mississippi who fought bravely in the American Civil War. His military service and leadership earned him recognition in historical accounts of the conflict.
While the Sumrall surname has endured for centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rolling landscapes of medieval England, where it may have referred to a summer dwelling or sheltered area, reflecting the connection between the name and the natural environment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sumrall
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumrall, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sumrall 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 Sumrall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 3,106
- Black or African American11.1% · 422
- Two or more races3.5% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sumrall
Sumrall 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
#8,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,961
+21 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 585 places
2020
#8,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,790
-171 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,774 | 3,940 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,359 | 3,961 | 1.34 | +21 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 585 places |
| 2020 | #8,364 | 3,790 | 1.27 | -171 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5 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 Sumrall 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 | #8,359 | #8,364 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,961 | 3,790 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.27 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sumrall bearers went from 3,961 to 3,790 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,359 to #8,364.
FAQ
Sumrall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sumrall?
Name Census estimates that about 4,346 living Americans carry the surname Sumrall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,867 residents.
How common is Sumrall?
Sumrall ranks #8,364 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,790 people with the surname Sumrall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sumrall.
Has Sumrall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sumrall went from 3,961 recorded bearers to 3,790. That is a decrease of 171 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,359 to #8,364.
What does the Census say about the background of Sumrall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sumrall, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Sumrall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (3,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sumrall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Black (11.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Sumrall (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 Sumrall mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place meaning "summer hall" or "summer nook." 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 Sumrall (1.27 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 Sumrall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.