2000
#5,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,350
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Honaker
Derived from a place name meaning "Huna's field" in Old English, likely referring to an early settler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,852 Americans carry the last name Honaker. That puts it at #6,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,570 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Honaker 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
5.9K
1 in 58,570
Census rank
#6,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,103 bearers of the surname Honaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Honaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Honaker
The surname HONAKER is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Honig," meaning "honey," and the suffix "-er," indicating an occupation or place of origin. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who produced or sold honey, or someone who lived in an area known for beekeeping.
One of the earliest documented references to the HONAKER name can be found in the records of the town of Hönningen, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. In these records, the name appears as "Höniger," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of HONAKER.
As the name spread across Europe, various spellings emerged, including Honaker, Honecker, and Honnecker. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
In the late 17th century, records show that a family by the name of HONAKER settled in the American colonies, specifically in Virginia. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in America was Johann HONAKER, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the HONAKER surname. One such person was William HONAKER (1804-1892), a prominent farmer and politician from Virginia, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in the mid-19th century.
Another notable figure was Robert HONAKER (1876-1957), an American businessman and philanthropist from West Virginia. He founded the HONAKER Corporation, a successful mining and manufacturing company, and was known for his charitable contributions to educational institutions.
In the field of literature, Mary HONAKER (1914-2003) was an American author and poet, best known for her works exploring themes of nature and rural life in the Appalachian region.
Moving into the 20th century, Edward HONAKER (1918-2002) was a decorated World War II veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart for his service in the European Theater.
More recently, James HONAKER (born 1952) is a renowned American architect and urban planner, recognized for his innovative designs and contributions to sustainable urban development.
While the HONAKER surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this name found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. The name's rich history and diverse spellings reflect the movements and cultural influences that have shaped its journey through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Honaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Honaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Honaker 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 Honaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 4,594
- Two or more races4.3% · 219
- Black or African American2.8% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Honaker
Honaker 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
#6,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,617
+267 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#6,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,103
-514 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 302 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,923 | 5,350 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,105 | 5,617 | 1.90 | +267 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #6,407 | 5,103 | 1.71 | -514 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 302 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 Honaker 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 | #6,105 | #6,407 | -4.9% |
| Count | 5,617 | 5,103 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.71 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Honaker bearers went from 5,617 to 5,103 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 302 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,105 to #6,407.
FAQ
Honaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Honaker?
Name Census estimates that about 5,852 living Americans carry the surname Honaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,570 residents.
How common is Honaker?
Honaker ranks #6,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,103 people with the surname Honaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Honaker.
Has Honaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Honaker went from 5,617 recorded bearers to 5,103. That is a decrease of 514 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,105 to #6,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Honaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Honaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Honaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (4,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Honaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (2.8%). 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 Honaker (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 Honaker mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Huna's field" in Old English, likely referring to an early settler. 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 Honaker (1.71 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 surname Honaker?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.