Explore the Family Name Sumter

The meaning of Sumter

English: variant of Sumpter. History: Fort Sumter, SC, was named in honor of Thomas Sumter, known as the ‘Gamecock of the Revolution’ for the fear he inspired in the British and Tory forces and the pivotal role he played in key American victories. Born in 1734 near Charlottesville, VA, he was of Welsh heritage; his ancestors probably emigrated to North America in the late 17th century.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Sumter" saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked at 15,590 but it fell to 16,203 in 2010, indicating a change of -3.93 percent. The count, however, increased by 3.54 percent during this period, going from 1,721 in 2000 to 1,782 in 2010. This meant that the proportion of people named Sumter per 100,000 decreased by 6.25 percent over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,590	#16,203	-3.93%
Count	1,721	1,782	3.54%
Proportion per 100k	0.64	0.6	-6.25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sumter

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Sumter", data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority identified as Black in both 2000 and 2010, with a slight increase of 0.65 percent. Those identifying as White saw a decrease of 6.59 percent. The percentage of those with two or more races increased by 22.92 percent, although the numbers remained relatively small. There was no data for Asian/Pacific Islander in either year, and the Hispanic category disappeared completely from the 2010 data. Interestingly, there was a new entry in 2010 for American Indian and Alaskan Native, which didn't exist in 2000.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	75.94%	76.43%	0.65%
White	19.41%	18.13%	-6.59%
Two or More Races	1.92%	2.36%	22.92%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	1.57%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Hispanic	1.34%	0%	0%