2000
#2,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.16
Uncommon Last name
Comer
An occupational surname for a person who combs wool or flax, or a topographic name for a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,152 Americans carry the last name Comer. That puts it at #2,237 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comer 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 Comer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,882
Census rank
#2,237
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,829 bearers of the surname Comer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2237th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comer, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comer
The surname Comer is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "comere," meaning a godparent or a close friend of the family. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Comer can be found in England's Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "le Comere." This spelling suggests that the name was initially an occupational one, referring to a person who served as a godparent or was a close friend of a family.
In the 14th century, the name Comer appeared in various forms, such as "Commere," "Cummere," and "Comere," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Comer was John Comer, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Comer, as it primarily recorded landowners and their holdings. However, it is possible that the name's origins can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, when many French words and names were introduced into the English language.
In the 16th century, the surname Comer was found in various parts of England, including Wiltshire, Somerset, and Devon. The Subsidy Rolls of 1524 for Somerset list a John Comer, indicating the presence of the name in that region.
The name Comer has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including:
1. William Comer (c. 1588-1663), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Hereford.
2. Thomas Comer (c. 1650-1697), an English theologian and author of several religious works.
3. George Comer (1742-1823), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
4. John Comer (1770-1825), an English architect known for his work on several churches in London.
5. Andrew Comer (1868-1937), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Avondale Mills textile company in Alabama.
While the surname Comer has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comer
Among Census respondents with the surname Comer, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Comer 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 Comer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 12,643
- Black or African American12.0% · 1,892
- Two or more races3.8% · 602
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 492
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comer
Comer 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
#2,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,893
+274 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 5.73
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#2,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,829
-1,064 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.30
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,001 | 16,619 | 6.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,148 | 16,893 | 5.73 | +274 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #2,237 | 15,829 | 5.30 | -1,064 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 89 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 Comer 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 | #2,148 | #2,237 | -4.1% |
| Count | 16,893 | 15,829 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.73 | 5.30 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comer bearers went from 16,893 to 15,829 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,148 to #2,237.
FAQ
Comer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comer?
Name Census estimates that about 18,152 living Americans carry the surname Comer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,882 residents.
How common is Comer?
Comer ranks #2,237 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,829 people with the surname Comer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Comer.
Has Comer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comer went from 16,893 recorded bearers to 15,829. That is a decrease of 1,064 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,148 to #2,237.
What does the Census say about the background of Comer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comer, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Comer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (12,643 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (12.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Comer (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 Comer mean?
An occupational surname for a person who combs wool or flax, or a topographic name for a valley. 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 Comer (5.30 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 Comer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.