2000
#9,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Summer
An occupational surname referring to a summoner, derived from the Old French "somier" meaning an animal driver or pack horse leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,009 Americans carry the last name Summer. That puts it at #11,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,910 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Summer 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 Summer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,910
Census rank
#11,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,624 bearers of the surname Summer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Summer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Summer
The surname "SUMMER" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "sumor," meaning the season of summer. This name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was born or had a significant event occur during the summer months.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SUMMER" can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275 mention a Robert le Sumere, and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 record a John Sumer in Oxfordshire.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various ecclesiastical records, such as the Register of the Gild of the Holy Trinity in Coventry from 1453, which lists a Richard Somer. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524 also include a John Somer from Gloucestershire.
As the name spread across England, it evolved into different spellings, including Somer, Sommer, and Somers. Some of these variations were influenced by place names, such as Somerton in Somerset, which may have contributed to the Somerton or Sommerton spellings.
Notable historical figures with the surname "SUMMER" include:
1. Sir George Somers (c. 1554-1610), an English naval officer and colonist who was instrumental in the early settlement of Bermuda.
2. William Somers (c. 1540-1589), an English academic and clergyman who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
3. John Somers, 1st Baron Somers (1651-1716), an English Whig jurist and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of England.
4. John Somers, 2nd Baron Somers (1685-1766), a British nobleman and politician who served as Lord President of the Council.
5. Mary Somerville (1780-1872), a Scottish science writer and polymath who contributed significantly to the study of astronomy and geography.
While the surname "SUMMER" has a long history in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, becoming a common surname in various countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Summer
Among Census respondents with the surname Summer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Summer 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 Summer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 2,146
- Black or African American8.3% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 90
- Two or more races3.2% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Summer
Summer 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
#11,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,778
-379 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,905 places
2020
#11,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,624
-154 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,450 | 3,157 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,355 | 2,778 | 0.94 | -379 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 1,905 places |
| 2020 | #11,480 | 2,624 | 0.88 | -154 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 125 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 Summer 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 | #11,355 | #11,480 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,778 | 2,624 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.88 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Summer bearers went from 2,778 to 2,624 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,355 to #11,480.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Summer
FAQ
Summer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Summer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,009 living Americans carry the surname Summer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,910 residents.
How common is Summer?
Summer ranks #11,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,624 people with the surname Summer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,009), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Summer.
Has Summer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Summer went from 2,778 recorded bearers to 2,624. That is a decrease of 154 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,355 to #11,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Summer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Summer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Summer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (2,146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Summer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (8.3%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Summer (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 Summer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a summoner, derived from the Old French "somier" meaning an animal driver or pack horse leader. 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 Summer (0.88 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 have the last name Summer?
See how many people have the last name Summer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.