 It occurs basically in the north-Norwegian communities of Kautokeino and Karasjok, but also in other northern-Scandinavian regions.The ancestor of the Somby family is "Oloff Persson Sombio", registered in Kautokeino from 1697 to 1707.There is a concentration of Sumby in and around Sunderland in the UK, the earliest recorded Sumby being a resident of the Parish of Bishopwearmouth in the mid 19th century.