Coombs
A mainly English surname from a word for a valley or hollow, often originally used for someone who lived there.
The #3,631 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,569 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Coombs is a surname built on the old local-word family behind English comb, coombe, and combe, meaning a short valley, hollow, or sloping depression. It ultimately reflects Celtic forms, especially Welsh cwm, with the same sense. The final -s in Coombs is a common surname ending found in many English place-names and family names, and does not usually change the basic meaning.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries treat Coombs as a local or topographic name and link it to Combe/Combes/Coome variants. It is especially associated with southern English counties, though it also appears elsewhere in Britain and later in the United States. The spelling Coombs became one of several established family-name forms from the same valley-based root.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname guides sometimes note that Coombs and its variants cluster around place-names built on the same valley word, making it a classic topographic surname.
From the historical record
“Yorkshire. COOMBS. (Cor. Br.) A place between hills, a valley ; in the Welsh, Cwm. COONS. Dutch, Koen, bold, daring, audacious. Coon, Saxon, bold. COOPER. A name of occupation or trade. The name is also local, from Cupar, a town in Fifeshire, Scotland, which is derived from Cit-pyre, the inclosed fire, or Co, high…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names