2000
#11,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Lumsden
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, likely meaning "valley of the elm trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,906 Americans carry the last name Lumsden. That puts it at #11,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lumsden 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 Lumsden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,947
Census rank
#11,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,534 bearers of the surname Lumsden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumsden, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lumsden
The surname Lumsden is of Scottish origin, originating from the lands of the same name located in Berwickshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "lum" meaning a small river or stream, and "dene" meaning a valley.
The earliest recorded reference to the name dates back to the 12th century, with mention of the lands of Lumsden in a charter granted by King David I of Scotland to the Benedictine monks of Coldingham Priory. Over the following centuries, the Lumsden family became prominent landowners in the Scottish Borders region.
One notable figure was Sir James Lumsden, who was appointed Governor of Berwick and Warden of the East Marches in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the conflicts between Scotland and England during this period.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Lumsden, who served as a military commander under King James VI of Scotland and later King James I of England in the early 17th century. He fought in the Nine Years' War in Ireland and was knighted for his services.
In the 18th century, Andrew Lumsden (1720-1801) was a Scottish soldier and orientalist who served in the East India Company's army. He became renowned for his translations of ancient Persian texts and his contributions to the study of Indian languages.
Moving to the 19th century, Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden (1821-1908) was a British military officer who served in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and later became Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army. He was also an accomplished linguist and scholar of Indian languages and culture.
Throughout history, the Lumsden surname has been associated with various landed estates and properties in the Scottish Borders region, including Lumsden Castle, Blanerne Castle, and Innerleithen. The name has also been recorded in various spellings, such as Lumisden, Lumsdaine, and Lumsdayn, reflecting regional variations and linguistic evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lumsden
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumsden, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lumsden 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 Lumsden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 1,925
- Black or African American13.7% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 122
- Two or more races4.0% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lumsden
Lumsden 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
#12,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
+87 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 528 places
2020
#11,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
-29 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 343 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,628 | 2,476 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,156 | 2,563 | 0.87 | +87 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 528 places |
| 2020 | #11,813 | 2,534 | 0.85 | -29 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 343 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 Lumsden 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 | #12,156 | #11,813 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,563 | 2,534 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.85 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lumsden bearers went from 2,563 to 2,534 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 343 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,156 to #11,813.
FAQ
Lumsden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lumsden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,906 living Americans carry the surname Lumsden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,947 residents.
How common is Lumsden?
Lumsden ranks #11,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,534 people with the surname Lumsden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Lumsden.
Has Lumsden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lumsden went from 2,563 recorded bearers to 2,534. That is a decrease of 29 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,156 to #11,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Lumsden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lumsden, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Lumsden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (1,925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lumsden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (13.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Lumsden (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 Lumsden mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, likely meaning "valley of the elm trees." 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 Lumsden (0.85 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 Americans have the surname Lumsden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.