2000
#1,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,072
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.44
Uncommon Last name
Cummins
Derived from a personal name meaning "son of Cuimín," which is an Irish diminutive of Colm, meaning "dove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,610 Americans carry the last name Cummins. That puts it at #1,778 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cummins 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 Cummins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 15,159
Census rank
#1,778
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,717 bearers of the surname Cummins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1778th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cummins
The surname Cummins originated in England, and it derives from the ancient British place name Cumdun or Cumdene. This place name is believed to have meant "valley of the Cymri" or "valley of the Britons." The name was first recorded in the early 11th century.
The Cummins surname has been found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "de Comindene." This entry referred to a landowner in Staffordshire, England, who held lands from the Earl of Shrewsbury.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cummins was Sir John Cummins, a Knight of Wiltshire, who lived during the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). He was known for his military service and his participation in the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Cummins, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, in the late 15th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1547 and was knighted by King Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Cummins family settled in Ireland, where the name was anglicized to Comyn or Cumyn. One of the most prominent members of this Irish branch was Sir Richard Cumyn, who was born in Dublin in 1572. He served as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1621 and played a significant role in the city's affairs during a turbulent period of Irish history.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Cummins family emigrated to the American colonies, where they settled in Virginia and Maryland. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname in America was John Cummins, who was born in England in 1621 and arrived in Virginia in 1639.
Another notable figure was Samuel Cummins, who was born in Ireland in 1678 and later immigrated to Pennsylvania. He became a prominent landowner and was involved in the early settlement of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cummins
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cummins 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 Cummins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 17,156
- Black or African American4.0% · 791
- Two or more races4.0% · 790
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 635
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 141
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cummins
Cummins 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
#1,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,705
+633 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.02
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,717
-988 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 6.60
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,633 | 20,072 | 7.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,731 | 20,705 | 7.02 | +633 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,778 | 19,717 | 6.60 | -988 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 47 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 Cummins 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 | #1,731 | #1,778 | -2.7% |
| Count | 20,705 | 19,717 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.02 | 6.60 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cummins bearers went from 20,705 to 19,717 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,731 to #1,778.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cummins
FAQ
Cummins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cummins?
Name Census estimates that about 22,610 living Americans carry the surname Cummins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,159 residents.
How common is Cummins?
Cummins ranks #1,778 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,717 people with the surname Cummins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Cummins.
Has Cummins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cummins went from 20,705 recorded bearers to 19,717. That is a decrease of 988 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,731 to #1,778.
What does the Census say about the background of Cummins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cummins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) 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 Cummins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (17,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cummins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.0%), 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 Cummins (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 Cummins mean?
Derived from a personal name meaning "son of Cuimín," which is an Irish diminutive of Colm, meaning "dove." 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 Cummins (6.60 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 Cummins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.