Explore the Family Name Balcom
The meaning of Balcom
Altered form of English Balcombe, a habitational name from Balcombe in West Sussex, which is named with Old English bealu ‘evil, calamity’ (or the Old English personal name Bealda) + cumb ‘valley’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Balcom in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Balcom has seen a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Balcom was ranked 10,753rd in terms of frequency, but by 2010, it had dropped to 11,804th place, marking a decline of 9.77%. This is evident in the count of individuals carrying the Balcom surname, which decreased from 2,723 in 2000 to 2,652 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named Balcom per 100k also fell by 10.89%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,753 | #11,804 | -9.77% |
| Count | 2,723 | 2,652 | -2.61% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.01 | 0.9 | -10.89% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Balcom
The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals an interesting shift in the ethnic identity associated with the Balcom surname over the same decade. The proportion of Balcoms identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 28.77%, while those reporting two or more races went up by 27.15%. While the majority of Balcoms identified as White (90.01% in 2010, down slightly from 90.64% in 2000), there was also a modest increase among those identifying as Hispanic (24.05%). Conversely, there was a decrease among Balcoms identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native, dropping by 6.76% and 8.11% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.64% | 90.01% | -0.7% |
| Black | 5.18% | 4.83% | -6.76% |
| Hispanic | 1.58% | 1.96% | 24.05% |
| Two or More Races | 1.51% | 1.92% | 27.15% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.73% | 0.94% | 28.77% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.37% | 0.34% | -8.11% |