Explore the Family Name Combes

The meaning of Combes

1. English: variant of Coombs. 2. French (also Combès): topographic name from combe ‘narrow valley, ravine’ (see Combe), or a habitational name from any of various places in southern France, for example in Hérault, named Combes.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Combes in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Combes has seen a slight shift over the years. In 2000, it was ranked 21,620 and increased to 21,912 by 2010, reflecting a modest decrease in popularity by 1.35%. However, the count of individuals with this surname grew from 1,124 to 1,185 during the same period, indicating an increase of 5.43%. The proportion of this name per 100,000 people marginally decreased by 4.76%, from 0.42 in 2000 to 0.4 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#21,620	#21,912	-1.35%
Count	1,124	1,185	5.43%
Proportion per 100k	0.42	0.4	-4.76%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Combes

The ethnicity associated with the surname Combes also experienced changes according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, most of the bearers of this surname were identified as White (91.10%), which slightly decreased to 86.24% by 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander group saw an increase of 32.13%, from 2.49% in 2000 to 3.29% in 2010. Likewise, those identifying with two or more races witnessed a significant rise of 267.74%. There was also a noteworthy growth among those who identify as Black, increasing by 81.31%. The Hispanic group saw an uptick of 23.22%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native group had a minor increase of 3.06%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	91.1%	86.24%	-5.33%
Black	2.14%	3.88%	81.31%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.49%	3.29%	32.13%
Hispanic	2.67%	3.29%	23.22%
Two or More Races	0.62%	2.28%	267.74%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.98%	1.01%	3.06%