The Newcomb surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,292 people carried this name — #2,534 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,600 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (14,230).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Newcomb surname

Nickname for a new arrival in a place, from Middle English neowecomen (“just arrived; newcomer”). The intrusive -b is the result of placenames ending in -combe, which is from combe (“wooded valley”).

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the new-comen’.

An early record he cites: Gilbert le Neucum, Lincolnshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Newcome and Newcomb.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 555 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

108 families named Newcomb, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 646 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. 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

Massachusetts 49
New York 16
Connecticut 11
Maine 10
Maryland 9
North Carolina 5
Virginia 4
Vermont 2
New Hampshire 1
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. 255 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Newcomb in American newspapers,
1878–1920.

Newspaper page from The Morning Herald carrying the name Newcomb
The Morning Herald 1878-12-11
Newspaper page from The Herald-advance carrying the name Newcomb
The Herald-advance 1920-08-06
Newspaper page from The Bourbon News carrying the name Newcomb
The Bourbon News 1912-02-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 132,206 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Newcomb in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1970s.

2,702 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Newcomb. The most, 609, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 928
New South Wales 900
Victoria 429
South Australia 256
Western Australia 122
Tasmania 48
ACT (Canberra) 6
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Newcomb,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Caroline Elizabeth Newcomb
    Caroline Elizabeth Newcomb 1812–1874
  • Wesley Newcomb
    Wesley Newcomb 1818–1892 · physician
  • Wesley Newcomb
    Wesley Newcomb 1818–1892 · physician
  • Thomas Newcomb d. 1691 · printer
  • Simon Newcomb d. 1744
  • Simon Newcomb d. 1743

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Newcomb,
in the records of 5 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 States1,354 records

1,354 records of the Newcomb name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 513
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 309
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 229
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 130
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 85
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 66
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jesse L. Newcomb

    Born 1923 in Virginia. Enlisted 1946 at Roanoke; nursery from Buchanan County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Mount Joy Ch of the Brethren Cemetery, Buchanan, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie Newcomb

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Paris from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 54; housekeeper. From England; bound for Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Wayne Paul Newcomb

    Born 1945; from Scituate, Massachusetts. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,354 records for Newcomb 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) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Canada660 records

660 records of the Newcomb name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 638
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 12
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record William Newcomb

    Killed in 1911 at the Albion Mine, 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 Sarah E. Newcomb

    Died 1920; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  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 Michael Joseph Newcomb

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 660 records for Newcomb in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. 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).

Australia70 records

70 records of the Newcomb name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 38
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 9
  • Tasmanian Names Index 8
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 7
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Newcomb

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Earl St Vincent, arriving 1820; ticket of leave 1829. Native of London.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fred Newcomb

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Royal Charter, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Dominic G. D. Newcomb

    Boot clicker of Carlton, Victoria; died 1921.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 70 records for Newcomb in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Newcomb name in New Zealand Marlborough District cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Edward Newcomb

    Died 1912, aged 81; buried at Havelock Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Selina Newcomb

    Died 1899, aged 61; buried at Havelock Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Newcomb name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Newcomb

    Lieutenant. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Newcomb.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Newcomb 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 Newcomb volume
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