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

Toombs, 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 Toombs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Toombs in America

Toombs is the 6977th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Toombs surname appeared 4,806 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Toombs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Toombs 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 Toombs

The surname Toombs is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "tun" meaning an enclosure or a village. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in areas like Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Toombs can be found in medieval documents and records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "de Toumbes" or "de Toumes." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a specific village or settlement.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the Toombs surname, such as "Tomes" and "Tumes." However, these entries are subject to interpretation and may not directly correspond to the modern spelling of the name.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Toombs was Sir Richard de Tomes, a knight who lived in the 13th century and was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273. Another notable individual was John Toombs, who was born in 1603 in Lincolnshire and later became a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia in the mid-17th century.

Other historical figures with the surname Toombs include Robert Toombs (1810-1885), an American politician and prominent figure in the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He served as the first Secretary of State for the Confederate States of America. Additionally, there was Sir Walter Toombs (1870-1941), a British businessman and philanthropist who was knighted for his charitable works.

In the realm of literature, the name Toombs is associated with Robert Toombs Hoke (1905-1969), an American author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories set in the American South. Lastly, James Toombs (1909-1989) was a British sculptor and artist known for his monumental public artworks and sculptures.

The Toombs surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Tombs, Tomes, Toomes, and Tooms, reflecting the diverse regional dialects and interpretations of the name's origins. Despite these variations, the core meaning and significance of the surname as an indicator of place or geographic origin has remained consistent throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Toombs

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

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

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

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