2000
#3,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Himes
Derived from a Middle English personal name, a short form of Richard, meaning "home ruler" or "powerful ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,719 Americans carry the last name Himes. That puts it at #4,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Himes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
9.7K
1 in 35,266
Census rank
#4,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,475 bearers of the surname Himes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Himes, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Himes
The surname HIMES is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was derived from the Middle High German word "heim," meaning "home" or "homestead." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a particular home or village. It is also possible that the name was a topographic name, referring to a person who lived in a specific location with a similar-sounding name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HIMES can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former Principality of Anhalt in central Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, including "Heimes" and "Heimis."
In England, the name HIMES is documented as early as the 13th century, possibly brought over by German immigrants or as a variant of the English place name "Himes" or "Hyme," derived from the Old English words "hym" (a corner or angle) and "hieman" (a homestead or dwelling).
Among notable individuals with the surname HIMES throughout history are:
1. Andrew Himes (1733-1809), an American Revolutionary War soldier and pioneer settler in what is now West Virginia.
2. George Ellery Hale Himes (1900-1987), an American philosopher and author known for his works on existentialism and ethics.
3. John Russell Himes (1788-1865), an American physician and advocate of birth control and family planning.
4. Christine Himes (born 1957), an American author and journalist known for her works on contemporary Chinese culture and society.
5. William D. Himes (1922-2010), an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the chairman and CEO of Converse Inc.
The name HIMES has also been associated with various place names, such as Himes, a village in the commune of Hauteville-la-Guichard in northeastern France, and Himes Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River in West Virginia, named after the early settler Andrew Himes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Himes
Among Census respondents with the surname Himes, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Himes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Himes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 7,333
- Black or African American5.4% · 455
- Two or more races3.4% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Himes
Himes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,831
+412 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#4,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,475
-356 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,877 | 8,419 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,026 | 8,831 | 2.99 | +412 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #4,067 | 8,475 | 2.84 | -356 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 41 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Himes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,026 | #4,067 | -1.0% |
| Count | 8,831 | 8,475 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.99 | 2.84 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Himes bearers went from 8,831 to 8,475 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,026 to #4,067.
FAQ
Himes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Himes?
Name Census estimates that about 9,719 living Americans carry the surname Himes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,266 residents.
How common is Himes?
Himes ranks #4,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,475 people with the surname Himes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,719), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Himes.
Has Himes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Himes went from 8,831 recorded bearers to 8,475. That is a decrease of 356 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,026 to #4,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Himes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Himes, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Himes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (7,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Himes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Himes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Himes mean?
Derived from a Middle English personal name, a short form of Richard, meaning "home ruler" or "powerful ruler." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Himes (2.84 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Himes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.