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

Toomer, 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 Toomer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Toomer in America

Toomer is the 10491st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Toomer surname appeared 3,059 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 Toomer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Toomer 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 Toomer

The surname Toomer is thought to have originated in England, though its exact origins are uncertain. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name that referred to someone who lived near a hill or outcrop of land. The name may have evolved from the Old English word 'tun', meaning an enclosure or settlement, combined with 'mor', meaning a moor or marshy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Toomer name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Tumor'. This suggests that the name was already established by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Tumor, Tumer, Toomer, and Tumer.

In the 13th century, records show a William Tomer residing in Oxfordshire, England. Later, in the 15th century, a John Tomer was documented in the Sussex Subsidy Rolls of 1524. These early examples demonstrate the prevalence of the Toomer surname in different regions of England during the Middle Ages.

One notable individual with the Toomer surname was Sir Richard Toomer (1553-1626), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Portsmouth in the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was John Toomer (1658-1718), an English merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the early colonization of South Carolina.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Toomer name is that of Samuel Toomer (1724-1784), a planter and slave owner from South Carolina. His grandson, Robert Toomer (1766-1838), was a prominent jurist and served as a judge in the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

One of the most renowned individuals with the Toomer surname is the American modernist author Jean Toomer (1894-1967), best known for his novel "Cane" and his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance. Another notable figure is Marvin Toomer (1915-2008), an American physicist who made significant contributions to the study of cosmic rays and particle physics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Toomer

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

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

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

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