Find out how popular the last name Homer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Homer.

Homer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Homer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Homer in America

Homer is the 5610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Homer surname appeared 6,198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Homer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Homer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Homer

The surname Homer originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hom," which means a homestead or a dwelling place. This name was likely given to someone who lived in a remote or isolated area, or perhaps to someone who owned a homestead.

The earliest recorded instances of the Homer surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book lists several individuals with the surname Homer or similar spellings, such as Homere or Homere.

During the Middle Ages, the Homer surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Some early examples of place names associated with the surname include Homer's Hill in Lincolnshire and Homer's Green in Norfolk.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Homer surname was John Homer, a merchant who lived in London during the 14th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir William Homer, a member of the English gentry who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Homer surname gained prominence with the rise of the poet John Homer (1585-1639), who is considered one of the leading figures of the English Renaissance. His most famous work is the epic poem "The Iliad," which tells the story of the Trojan War.

Another famous bearer of the Homer surname was Winslow Homer (1836-1910), an American landscape painter and printmaker who is widely regarded as one of the greatest American artists of the 19th century. His works often depicted scenes of rural life and coastal landscapes in New England.

Other notable individuals with the Homer surname include the English cricketer Jack Homer (1895-1952), who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century, and the American actor Buddy Homer (1928-2006), who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout his career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Homer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Homer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Homer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Homer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Homer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Homer, please contact us.

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