Explore the Family Name Combe
The meaning of Combe
1. Scottish (Midlothian and East Lothian): from Gaelic Mac Thom ‘son of Thom’, see Thomas. It is also a shortened form of McCombe. 2. English: variant of Coombe. 3. French: topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine, from combe ‘narrow valley, ravine’ (from Latin cumba, a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name from Combe, the name of several places in the southern part of France, of the same etymology. Compare Lacombe. Some characteristic forenames: French Emile, Michel.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Combe in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Combe witnessed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname slipped from 30,483 in 2000 to 30,825 in 2010, marking a drop of approximately 1.12%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased by 4.43% during the same period, rising from 723 in 2000 to 755 in 2010. Despite this increase, the proportion of the Combe surname per 100,000 people dipped by 3.7%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,483 | #30,825 | -1.12% |
| Count | 723 | 755 | 4.43% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.27 | 0.26 | -3.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Combe
In terms of ethnicity, the Combe surname shows a diverse range based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. As of 2010, the majority of individuals bearing this surname identified as White, making up 87.02%, a slight decrease from 87.97% in 2000. Those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase, moving from 7.47% in 2000 to 9.40% in 2010. Meanwhile, there was a small representation of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (1.46%) and those claiming two or more ethnicities (1.06%) in 2010. Unfortunately, data for individuals identifying as Black was suppressed in 2010 for privacy reasons. There were no recorded instances of individuals identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native for either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.97% | 87.02% | -1.08% |
| Hispanic | 7.47% | 9.4% | 25.84% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.46% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.24% | 1.06% | -14.52% |
| Black | 1.8% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |