2000
#6,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Womble
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "hollow" or "valley" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,837 Americans carry the last name Womble. That puts it at #6,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Womble 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 Womble with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,721
Census rank
#6,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,090 bearers of the surname Womble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Womble, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Womble
The surname Womble is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "womb," which referred to a hollow or depression in the land, often a valley or dip between hills. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who lived in such a geographic location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Womble can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a John de Womble residing in Staffordshire, indicating that the name had spread across various regions of England by that time. The prefix "de" in his name suggests a connection to a specific place, likely a township or village with a name derived from the Old English word "womb."
During the 14th century, variations of the spelling emerged, including Wombell, Wombwell, and Wombwell. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
One notable figure in history who bore the Womble surname was Sir John Wombwell, a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in the late 16th century. He was born in 1536 and played a significant role in the English Reformation, supporting the Protestant cause under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Womble family established themselves in the county of Gloucestershire. A prominent member of this branch was Richard Womble, a successful merchant and landowner who was born in 1624 and left behind a substantial estate upon his death in 1692.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Womble, born in 1745 in Wiltshire. She gained recognition as a skilled needleworker and embroiderer, with her intricate designs adorning the garments of wealthy patrons throughout the Georgian era.
During the 19th century, the Womble name continued to appear across various regions of England, with notable individuals including George Womble, a renowned architect from Yorkshire, born in 1817, and Samuel Womble, a prominent educator and headmaster from Derbyshire, born in 1853.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Womble
Among Census respondents with the surname Womble, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Womble 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 Womble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 3,684
- Black or African American19.5% · 994
- Two or more races4.0% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Womble
Womble 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
#6,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,311
+124 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 306 places
2020
#6,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,090
-221 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,099 | 5,187 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,405 | 5,311 | 1.80 | +124 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 306 places |
| 2020 | #6,422 | 5,090 | 1.70 | -221 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 17 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 Womble 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 | #6,405 | #6,422 | -0.3% |
| Count | 5,311 | 5,090 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.70 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Womble bearers went from 5,311 to 5,090 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,405 to #6,422.
FAQ
Womble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Womble?
Name Census estimates that about 5,837 living Americans carry the surname Womble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,721 residents.
How common is Womble?
Womble ranks #6,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,090 people with the surname Womble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,837), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Womble.
Has Womble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Womble went from 5,311 recorded bearers to 5,090. That is a decrease of 221 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,405 to #6,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Womble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Womble, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Womble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (3,684 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Womble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Womble (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 Womble mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "hollow" or "valley" 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 Womble (1.70 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 share the surname Womble?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.