2000
#3,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,355
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Homan
Derived from the Middle English term "houman," referring to a household servant or domestic helper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,486 Americans carry the last name Homan. That puts it at #3,790 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,687 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Homan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Homan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,687
Census rank
#3,790
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,144 bearers of the surname Homan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3790th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Homan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Homan
The surname Homan is believed to have originated in France, where it was derived from the French word "homme," meaning "man." The name likely emerged during the medieval period, possibly as a descriptive surname referring to a man of particular stature or character.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, such as Normandy and Brittany. These early references often appear in local records, parish registers, and legal documents.
One notable early bearer of the name was Jean Homan, a merchant who lived in the town of Rouen in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in several commercial records from that era, indicating the name's presence among the merchant class.
In the 14th century, the name Homan appeared in the "Livre des Bourgeois de Paris," a register of citizens in the city of Paris. This suggests the name had spread to the capital and was well-established among the urban population.
During the Renaissance period, the Homan family produced several notable figures. François Homan (1515-1578) was a renowned scholar and humanist from Lyon, who published numerous works on philosophy and literature.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Homann, Homman, and Homan. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Netherlands, where the name was recorded as Homann.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England can be found in the parish records of St. Botolph's Church in Colchester, Essex, where a certain William Homan was baptized in 1612.
In the 17th century, the Homan name gained prominence in the arts. Pieter Homan (1628-1684) was a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter, known for his genre scenes and portraits. His works can be found in various museums across Europe.
Another notable figure from this period was Johann Baptist Homan (1664-1724), a German cartographer and engraver who founded the influential Homan publishing house, which produced some of the finest maps and atlases of the era.
As the name spread across the globe, it was carried by emigrants to various colonies and settlements. One such example is Samuel Homan (1710-1778), an early settler in Virginia who became a prominent landowner and civic leader in the colony.
Throughout its history, the surname Homan has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the name's enduring presence across different cultures and societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Homan
Among Census respondents with the surname Homan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Homan 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 Homan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 8,336
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 316
- Two or more races3.4% · 311
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 90
- Black or African American0.7% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Homan
Homan 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
#3,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,597
+242 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.25
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#3,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,144
-453 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,495 | 9,355 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,702 | 9,597 | 3.25 | +242 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #3,790 | 9,144 | 3.06 | -453 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 88 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 Homan 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 | #3,702 | #3,790 | -2.4% |
| Count | 9,597 | 9,144 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.25 | 3.06 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Homan bearers went from 9,597 to 9,144 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,702 to #3,790.
FAQ
Homan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Homan?
Name Census estimates that about 10,486 living Americans carry the surname Homan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,687 residents.
How common is Homan?
Homan ranks #3,790 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 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 9,144 people with the surname Homan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 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 Homan.
Has Homan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Homan went from 9,597 recorded bearers to 9,144. That is a decrease of 453 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,702 to #3,790.
What does the Census say about the background of Homan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Homan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) 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 Homan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (8,336 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Homan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), 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 Homan (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 Homan mean?
Derived from the Middle English term "houman," referring to a household servant or domestic helper. 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 Homan (3.06 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 common is the surname Homan?
See how common the surname Homan is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.