NEWCOMBE
Newcombe is a locational surname of English origin. It derives from the Old English words neowe meaning “new” and cumb meaning “valley”, suggesting that the original bearer lived near or in a newly cultivated valley.
The surname is recorded in a variety of spellings, including Newcomb, Newcome, Newcom, Newcoom, Newcum, and Newcumbe. Some scholars note that a medieval form, niwe cumen, translates literally as “the stranger” or “newcomer”; this has led to the suggestion that the name may have been applied as a descriptive nickname to a person who had recently arrived in the area.
Early documentary evidence dates to the late twelfth century. In 1175 the name appears as Alan le Neucoument in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire. William Neucum occurs in the Boldon Book of County Durham in 1183, and Richard Newecume is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. The name continues to be found in parish registers; for example, Ann Newcomb was christened at St. Giles Cripplegate on 20 March 1683. The most celebrated bearer of the name in the early modern period is Thomas Newcomen (1667–1723), who invented the modern steam engine in 1698.
In contemporary times the surname remains most common in England, particularly in the south of the country. Concentrations exist in counties such as Yorkshire, Essex, Kent, and the East Midlands, and in major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Bristol. Estimates place the number of people bearing the name in the United Kingdom at about 835, with a slight majority residing in England. The surname also occurs in considerable numbers in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada, and to a lesser extent in South Africa, Mexico, Scotland, Ireland, and Germany.
The name is occasionally considered a patronymic derivative of the given name Newman, meaning “new man” or “newcomer”, and is related to surnames such as Newcourt, Newkirk, Newland, and Newsom. Variants associated with specific regions include Newsom in the East Midlands, Newcome in Lincolnshire, and Newkumb in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In 2017 Newcombe ranked among the top 100 most common surnames in England and Wales.
Typical given names associated with the Newcombe surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Robert
Female
- Alison
- Barbara
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jacqueline
- Janet
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Newcombe in...
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There are approximately 4,308 people named Newcombe in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,171st most common surname in Britain. Around 66 in a million people in Britain are named Newcombe.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
