2000
#14,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Umstead
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead near the elm trees" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,085 Americans carry the last name Umstead. That puts it at #15,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,391 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Umstead 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
2.1K
1 in 164,391
Census rank
#15,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,818 bearers of the surname Umstead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Umstead, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Umstead
The surname Umstead originated in England during the medieval period, believed to have derived from the Old English words "umbe" meaning "ridge" and "stede" meaning "place" or "farm." This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hilltop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which listed a landowner named Umstede in Gloucestershire. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, various spellings of the name emerged, such as Umstede, Umsted, and Umpstead, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects across different parts of England.
In the 13th century, records show an individual named Richard de Umstede who held lands in Oxfordshire. This indicates that by this time, the name had spread beyond its presumed origins in the south-western region of England.
During the 16th century, the spelling "Umstead" became more prevalent, as evidenced by the birth of John Umstead in 1587 in Wiltshire. This John Umstead was notably a member of the English gentry and served as a local magistrate.
Another prominent figure bearing the Umstead name was William Umstead, born in 1632 in Somerset. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to play influential roles in their local communities.
As the centuries progressed, the Umstead family dispersed across various parts of England, with some members eventually migrating to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, where the name took root and continued to be passed down through generations.
Notable individuals with the Umstead surname include Jonathan Umstead (1804-1884), a prominent farmer and politician in North Carolina, and William B. Umstead (1895-1954), who served as the 57th Governor of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Umstead
Among Census respondents with the surname Umstead, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Umstead 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 Umstead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 1,456
- Black or African American13.1% · 239
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 56
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Umstead
Umstead 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
#15,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,949
+18 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 877 places
2020
#15,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,818
-131 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 382 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,250 | 1,931 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,127 | 1,949 | 0.66 | +18 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 877 places |
| 2020 | #15,509 | 1,818 | 0.61 | -131 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 382 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 Umstead 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 | #15,127 | #15,509 | -2.5% |
| Count | 1,949 | 1,818 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.61 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Umstead bearers went from 1,949 to 1,818 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 382 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,127 to #15,509.
FAQ
Umstead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Umstead?
Name Census estimates that about 2,085 living Americans carry the surname Umstead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,391 residents.
How common is Umstead?
Umstead ranks #15,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,818 people with the surname Umstead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Umstead.
Has Umstead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Umstead went from 1,949 recorded bearers to 1,818. That is a decrease of 131 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,127 to #15,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Umstead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Umstead, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Umstead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (1,456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Umstead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (13.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Umstead (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 Umstead mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead near the elm trees" in Old English. 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 Umstead (0.61 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 last name Umstead?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Umstead on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.