2000
#953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,717
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.50
Uncommon Last name
Odom
Derived from a place name meaning "at the oak trees" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,038 Americans carry the last name Odom. That puts it at #1,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odom 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.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,011
Census rank
#1,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,171 bearers of the surname Odom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odom, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odom
The surname Odom has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ode" meaning wealth or prosperity, and "ham" meaning homestead or village. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a prosperous village or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, where a person named Odo de Hamme is mentioned. This spelling variation, "de Hamme," suggests that the name may have initially been a place name before evolving into a surname.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, such as Odam, Odham, and Odeham, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by place names like Odham in Bedfordshire or Odiham in Hampshire.
In the 13th century, the surname Odom was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire, a significant collection of records from that period. This indicates that the name was well-established in parts of England by that time.
One notable individual with the surname Odom was Sir John Odam, a member of the English parliament who lived in the late 14th century. He was a wealthy landowner and influential figure in his local community.
Another person of historical significance was Thomas Odom, born in 1650, who was a prominent merchant and trader in the city of Bristol. He played a role in the city's maritime commerce during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records, including the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where the baptism of a child named Elizabeth Odom was recorded in 1745.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in the American colonies was that of William Odom, who arrived in Virginia from England in the late 17th century. He settled in the Tidewater region and established a family line that continued in the following generations.
The name Odom has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history, such as the English writer and poet Samuel Odom (1679-1720), who was known for his satirical works, and the American civil rights activist and educator Mary Odom (1898-1976), who played a significant role in desegregating schools in the southern United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odom
Among Census respondents with the surname Odom, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Odom 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 Odom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 22,137
- Black or African American24.8% · 8,224
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,427
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,016
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 195
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 172
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odom
Odom 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
#996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,020
+1,303 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 11.87
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#1,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,171
-1,849 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 11.10
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #953 | 33,717 | 12.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #996 | 35,020 | 11.87 | +1,303 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #1,040 | 33,171 | 11.10 | -1,849 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 44 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 Odom 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 | #996 | #1,040 | -4.4% |
| Count | 35,020 | 33,171 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 11.87 | 11.10 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odom bearers went from 35,020 to 33,171 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #996 to #1,040.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Odom
FAQ
Odom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odom?
Name Census estimates that about 38,038 living Americans carry the surname Odom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,011 residents.
How common is Odom?
Odom ranks #1,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,171 people with the surname Odom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,038), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Odom.
Has Odom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odom went from 35,020 recorded bearers to 33,171. That is a decrease of 1,849 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #996 to #1,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Odom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odom, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Odom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (22,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (24.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Odom (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 Odom mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the oak trees" 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 Odom (11.10 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 Odom?
Find out how many people are called Odom on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.