The Comstock surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 10,390 people carried this name — #3,437 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 28,400 people counted. That is up 1% from 10,298 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Comstock surname

From combe (“valley”) + Old English stoc (“dwelling”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Comstock» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

116 families named Comstock, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 681 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Comstock, Compstock, Comstach, Comstack, Comstalk, Comstolk, Cumstack, Cumstick. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 64
New York 18
Massachusetts 15
Rhode Island 8
Vermont 7
New Hampshire 3
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 234 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Comstock in American newspapers,
1906–1922.

Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Comstock
The Ronan Pioneer 1917-12-28
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Comstock
Great Falls Tribune 1922-11-19
Newspaper page from The Lancaster Gazette carrying the name Comstock
The Lancaster Gazette 1906-10-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Comstock in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1960s.

896 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Comstock. The most, 270, date from the 1900s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 289
New South Wales 193
Queensland 132
South Australia 124
Tasmania 91
Western Australia 59
ACT (Canberra) 3
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Comstock.

Who carried it

People named Comstock,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Christopher Comstock 1635–1702 · politician
  • Samuel Comstock 1673–1757
  • Nathaniel Comstock 1706–1791
  • Moses Comstock 1714–1789 · politician
  • Nathaniel Comstock 1739–1829
  • Adam Comstock 1740–1819 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Comstock,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,164 records

1,164 records of the Comstock name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 362
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 323
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 217
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 190
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 33
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 21
  • Sacramento County historic burials 13
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Roy M. Comstock

    Born 1924 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks; farm hand from Greene County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Wesley Chapel Cemetery, Willard, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Edward W. Comstock

    Born 1931; from Jackson County, Missouri. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; declared dead 1951 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William T. Comstock

    Arrived at New York in 1876 aboard the Egypt from Liverpool, aged 33; merchant.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,164 records for Comstock in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada63 records

63 records of the Comstock name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 59
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frank Leslie Comstock

    Died 1941 in Berwick, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert F. Comstock

    Died 1981; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record William Henry Comstock

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 63 records for Comstock in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia21 records

21 records of the Comstock name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 10
  • Tasmanian Names Index 7
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 4
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas W. Comstock

    Gentleman of Camberwell, Victoria; died 1905.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Julia Comstock

    Died 1863 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 31.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Oscar Comstock

    Sailed from Victoria in 1896 aboard the Damascus, bound for London, aged 38.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Comstock in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Comstock name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Samuel Howard Comstock

    Died 1936 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 70.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Samuel Howard Comstock

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Comstock.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Comstock is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Comstock volume
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