2000
#3,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.05
Uncommon Last name
Newsom
A locational surname derived from several places in England, likely referring to a "new home" or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,287 Americans carry the last name Newsom. That puts it at #3,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newsom 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 Newsom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,896
Census rank
#3,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,715 bearers of the surname Newsom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newsom, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newsom
The surname Newsom is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from various place names in England, such as Newsham or Newsholme. These place names are thought to be derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new and "ham" meaning homestead or settlement, indicating a new village or farmstead.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Newsom can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Newesham" in reference to a location in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a William de Newesham in Yorkshire, and in the 14th century, there are references to a John de Newsom in Lancashire. These early recordings highlight the variations in spelling that were common during those times.
The surname Newsom has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Sir Roger Newsom (c. 1590-1644), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Guildford during the English Civil War.
Another prominent figure was John Newsom (1677-1756), an English merchant and shipowner from Bristol, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade during the 18th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest documented instances of the Newsom surname can be found in the records of John Newsom (c. 1658-1724), an English immigrant who settled in Virginia in the late 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the Newsom surname include William Newsom (1753-1831), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia, and Nathaniel Newsom (1809-1895), a prominent farmer and landowner in Mississippi in the 19th century.
The name Newsom has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Newsham in Yorkshire, Newsholme in Lancashire, and Newsome in West Yorkshire. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname throughout the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newsom
Among Census respondents with the surname Newsom, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Newsom 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 Newsom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 7,913
- Black or African American16.6% · 1,784
- Two or more races4.7% · 499
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 366
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newsom
Newsom 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
#3,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,218
+288 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#3,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,715
-503 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,040 | 10,930 | 4.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,218 | 11,218 | 3.80 | +288 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #3,292 | 10,715 | 3.58 | -503 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 74 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 Newsom 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 | #3,218 | #3,292 | -2.3% |
| Count | 11,218 | 10,715 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.80 | 3.58 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newsom bearers went from 11,218 to 10,715 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,218 to #3,292.
FAQ
Newsom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newsom?
Name Census estimates that about 12,287 living Americans carry the surname Newsom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,896 residents.
How common is Newsom?
Newsom ranks #3,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,715 people with the surname Newsom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Newsom.
Has Newsom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newsom went from 11,218 recorded bearers to 10,715. That is a decrease of 503 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,218 to #3,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Newsom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newsom, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Newsom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (7,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newsom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Newsom (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 Newsom mean?
A locational surname derived from several places in England, likely referring to a "new home" or settlement. 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 Newsom (3.58 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 common is the surname Newsom?
Want to know how many people are called Newsom? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.