2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Homel
A locational surname likely derived from the town of Homel in Belarus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Homel. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Homel 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Homel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Homel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Homel
The surname Homel traces its origins back to the Old English words "hol" and "mal," meaning "hole" and "spot" or "mark," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a distinctive hole or marking in the landscape.
The earliest recorded references to the Homel surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders in England following the Norman Conquest. Entries such as "Radulfus de Holemala" and "Willelmus de Holemala" indicate that the name was present in various parts of the country during this period.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Holmale," with variations like "Holmell" and "Holmelle" appearing in subsequent centuries. These variations likely arose from regional dialects and scribal errors when transcribing the name.
One notable bearer of the Homel surname was Sir John Homel, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 14th century. He was a knight and landowner in Gloucestershire and is mentioned in several historical records from the time.
During the 16th century, the surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the county of Dorset, where it was associated with the village of Holme, likely influencing the spelling of the name.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the Homel surname was Samuel Homel, a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1630s and played a significant role in the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the Homel name was William Homel, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was commended for his bravery and leadership in several naval engagements.
As the surname spread across different regions and countries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Homell, Hommel, and Hommell. These variations often reflected local dialects and pronunciation differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Homel
Among Census respondents with the surname Homel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Homel 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 Homel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Homel
Homel 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-22 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,985 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 25,985 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 7,338 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 Homel 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 | #142,108 | #149,446 | -5.2% |
| Count | 117 | 110 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Homel bearers went from 117 to 110 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 7,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #149,446.
FAQ
Homel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Homel?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Homel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Homel?
Homel ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Homel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Homel.
Has Homel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Homel went from 117 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Homel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Homel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Homel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Homel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (2.7%). 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 Homel (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 Homel mean?
A locational surname likely derived from the town of Homel in Belarus. 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 Homel (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 are called Homel?
You can see how common the surname Homel is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.