2000
#10,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,746
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Toomer
One who collects or sells wool, or a nickname for a wool merchant or wool comber.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,223 Americans carry the last name Toomer. That puts it at #10,825 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,346 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toomer 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 Toomer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,346
Census rank
#10,825
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,811 bearers of the surname Toomer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10825th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toomer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toomer
Among Census respondents with the surname Toomer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Toomer 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 Toomer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.8% · 1,905
- White24.3% · 684
- Two or more races4.6% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toomer
Toomer 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
#10,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,059
+313 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 192 places
2020
#10,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,811
-248 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,683 | 2,746 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,491 | 3,059 | 1.04 | +313 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 192 places |
| 2020 | #10,825 | 2,811 | 0.94 | -248 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 334 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 Toomer 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 | #10,491 | #10,825 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,059 | 2,811 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.94 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toomer bearers went from 3,059 to 2,811 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,491 to #10,825.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Toomer
FAQ
Toomer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toomer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,223 living Americans carry the surname Toomer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,346 residents.
How common is Toomer?
Toomer ranks #10,825 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,811 people with the surname Toomer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,223), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Toomer.
Has Toomer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toomer went from 3,059 recorded bearers to 2,811. That is a decrease of 248 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,491 to #10,825.
What does the Census say about the background of Toomer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toomer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Toomer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (1,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toomer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (67.8%), White (24.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Toomer (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 Toomer mean?
One who collects or sells wool, or a nickname for a wool merchant or wool comber. 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 Toomer (0.94 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 Americans have the surname Toomer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.