2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hombs
A surname likely derived from a place name in England containing "home" or "hom".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Hombs. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hombs 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Hombs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hombs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hombs
The surname HOMBS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. The name is thought to derive from the Old English word "homb," which means "a low-lying meadow or valley." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided in or near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HOMBS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1275, where a certain William Hombs is mentioned as a landowner. This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the surname HOMBS appears in the records of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare. This connection suggests that the name may have been prevalent in the West Midlands area of England during that time period.
The earliest known bearer of the HOMBS surname was likely Sir Robert Hombs, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He is mentioned in several chronicles and historical accounts of the era, cementing his place in the annals of English history.
Another notable figure with the HOMBS surname was John Hombs, a prominent merchant and trader who lived in the city of Bristol during the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative wool trade and amassed considerable wealth through his business dealings.
In the 17th century, the HOMBS name can be found in the parish records of the village of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. This suggests that the surname had spread from its origins in the West Midlands to other parts of central England by that point.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the HOMBS surname was Sir William Hombs (1660-1732), a renowned architect and designer who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in London, including St. Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
These examples illustrate the rich history and geographical spread of the HOMBS surname throughout England over the centuries, from its humble beginnings as a name associated with rural landscapes to its eventual adoption by notable figures in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hombs
Among Census respondents with the surname Hombs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hombs 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 Hombs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hombs
Hombs 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-14 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,138 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 25,138 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 10,770 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 Hombs 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 | #160,975 | #150,205 | 6.7% |
| Count | 100 | 109 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hombs bearers went from 100 to 109 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 10,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,205.
FAQ
Hombs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hombs?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Hombs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Hombs?
Hombs ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Hombs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Hombs.
Has Hombs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hombs went from 100 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 9 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Hombs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hombs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Hombs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hombs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Black (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Hombs (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 Hombs mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name in England containing "home" or "hom". 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 Hombs (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 people have the last name Hombs?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Hombs on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.