2000
#12,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,340
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Trumbull
From a place name derived from the Old English words meaning "strongly flowing stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,476 Americans carry the last name Trumbull. That puts it at #13,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trumbull 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
2.5K
1 in 138,431
Census rank
#13,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,159 bearers of the surname Trumbull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trumbull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trumbull
The surname Trumbull originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "trumbehyll," which translates to "trumpet hill" or "hill where trumpets were sounded." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or a topographical feature associated with trumpet sounds.
The earliest known record of the name Trumbull appears in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like survey of England conducted in 1273. This document mentions a Walter de Trumbille, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name Trumbull appeared in various forms, such as Trumbyll, Trumbull, and Trumbull. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable figure bearing the Trumbull surname was Sir William Trumbull (1639-1716), a prominent English statesman and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for the Northern Department under King William III. He played a significant role in negotiating the Treaty of Rijswijk, which ended the Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance.
Another historical figure was John Trumbull (1756-1843), an American artist and painter from Connecticut. He is renowned for his revolutionary war paintings, including the famous "Declaration of Independence" and "Surrender of Lord Cornwallis." His works are considered invaluable records of the events surrounding the American Revolution.
In the 19th century, Lyman Trumbull (1813-1896) was a prominent American politician and jurist from Illinois. He served as a U.S. Senator and played a crucial role in drafting the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. Trumbull County in Ohio is named after him.
Benjamin Trumbull (1735-1820) was an American historian and theologian from Connecticut. He served as the president of Yale University from 1795 to 1801 and wrote several influential works on the history of Connecticut and the United States.
John Trumbull (1750-1831), not to be confused with the artist of the same name, was a poet and jurist from Connecticut. He is best known for his satirical works, including the poem "McFingal," which mocked the Loyalists during the American Revolution.
It's worth noting that while the Trumbull surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and the expansion of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trumbull
Among Census respondents with the surname Trumbull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Trumbull 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 Trumbull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,943
- Two or more races3.7% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 23
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trumbull
Trumbull 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
#13,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
-50 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,116 places
2020
#13,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
-131 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,206 | 2,340 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,322 | 2,290 | 0.78 | -50 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,116 places |
| 2020 | #13,480 | 2,159 | 0.72 | -131 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 158 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 Trumbull 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 | #13,322 | #13,480 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,290 | 2,159 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trumbull bearers went from 2,290 to 2,159 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,322 to #13,480.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Trumbull
FAQ
Trumbull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trumbull?
Name Census estimates that about 2,476 living Americans carry the surname Trumbull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,431 residents.
How common is Trumbull?
Trumbull ranks #13,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,159 people with the surname Trumbull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,476), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Trumbull.
Has Trumbull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trumbull went from 2,290 recorded bearers to 2,159. That is a decrease of 131 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,322 to #13,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Trumbull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trumbull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (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 Trumbull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trumbull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (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 Trumbull (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 Trumbull mean?
From a place name derived from the Old English words meaning "strongly flowing stream." 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 Trumbull (0.72 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 are called Trumbull?
See how many people have the surname Trumbull on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.