2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Homb
A surname derived from the German word for "horn" or "trumpeter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Homb. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Homb 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Homb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Homb, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Homb
The surname HOMB originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, likely derived from the Old German word "hombe," meaning a ridge or raised ground. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived on or near a prominent hill or ridge.
The earliest recorded instances of the HOMB surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest documented spellings include "Homber" and "Hombere," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time period.
One of the earliest known references to the HOMB name appears in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae," a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Hombere" is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1276.
In the 14th century, the name HOMB began to spread throughout other parts of Germany, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in cities like Nuremberg and Frankfurt. One notable figure from this era was Johannes Homb, a merchant and member of the guild in Augsburg, who lived around 1380.
During the Renaissance period, the HOMB name gained prominence in the region of Swabia, located in southwestern Germany. Here, the name was often associated with the town of Hombühl, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
One of the most famous individuals with the HOMB surname was Johann Georg Homb, a German composer and organist who lived from 1622 to 1683. He served as the Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and composed numerous sacred works.
In the 18th century, the HOMB name appeared in various historical records across Germany, including church registers and military documents. One notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Homb, a German historian and author who lived from 1735 to 1811 and wrote extensively on the history of Saxony.
As the HOMB family spread throughout different regions, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as "Hombe," "Homben," and "Hombel." These variations often reflected local dialects and pronunciation differences.
While the HOMB surname is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other European countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, the majority of historical records and notable figures bearing this name can be traced back to its German origins and the areas where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Homb
Among Census respondents with the surname Homb, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Homb 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 Homb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 108
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Homb
Homb 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,113 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 Homb 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 | #140,157 | #144,270 | -2.9% |
| Count | 119 | 117 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Homb bearers went from 119 to 117 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #144,270.
FAQ
Homb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Homb?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Homb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Homb?
Homb ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Homb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Homb.
Has Homb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Homb went from 119 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Homb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Homb, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Homb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Homb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Homb (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 Homb mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "horn" or "trumpeter". 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 Homb (0.04 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 Homb?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.