2000
#10,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,726
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Honey
A surname derived from a nickname for a sweet-natured person or a beekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,059 Americans carry the last name Honey. That puts it at #11,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Honey 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Honey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 112,048
Census rank
#11,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,668 bearers of the surname Honey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Honey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Honey
The surname HONEY has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "huni," which means "honey." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who collected or sold honey, or perhaps even someone with a sweet disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HONEY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a William Honey. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, and their inclusion of this name provides valuable historical evidence of its existence at that time.
In the 13th century, the HONEY surname appeared in several other records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which listed a Simon Honey. The Hundred Rolls were a survey conducted by the English Crown to assess the holdings of landowners throughout the country.
During the 14th century, the HONEY name appeared in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, which recorded a John Honey. This tax was levied on all individuals over the age of 14, making it a valuable resource for tracing the distribution of surnames during that period.
One notable bearer of the HONEY surname was Thomas Honey, a English clergyman and academic who lived from 1545 to 1624. He served as the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, and was known for his work in theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the HONEY name appeared in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where a Robert Honey was baptized in 1632. These parish records provide invaluable insights into the lives of ordinary people during that era.
Another significant figure with the HONEY surname was William Honey, a British architect and surveyor who lived from 1736 to 1811. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the London Docks and the Old Bailey courthouses.
The HONEY surname also had a presence in Scotland, with records from the 16th century mentioning a family by the name of Honyman, which is believed to be a variation of HONEY. One notable member of this family was Andrew Honyman, a Scottish minister and theologian who lived from 1619 to 1676.
As the HONEY surname spread across England and Scotland, it also saw variations in spelling, such as Honney, Honiey, and Hunnee. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local record-keepers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Honey
Among Census respondents with the surname Honey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Honey 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 Honey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 2,175
- Black or African American7.6% · 202
- Two or more races4.7% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Honey
Honey 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
#10,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,923
+197 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 152 places
2020
#11,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,668
-255 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 415 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,745 | 2,726 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,897 | 2,923 | 0.99 | +197 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 152 places |
| 2020 | #11,312 | 2,668 | 0.89 | -255 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 415 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 Honey 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 | #10,897 | #11,312 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,923 | 2,668 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.89 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Honey bearers went from 2,923 to 2,668 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 415 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,897 to #11,312.
FAQ
Honey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Honey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,059 living Americans carry the surname Honey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,048 residents.
How common is Honey?
Honey ranks #11,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,668 people with the surname Honey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,059), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Honey.
Has Honey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Honey went from 2,923 recorded bearers to 2,668. That is a decrease of 255 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,897 to #11,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Honey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Honey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Honey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (2,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Honey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Honey (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 Honey mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a sweet-natured person or a beekeeper. 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 Honey (0.89 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 Honey?
See how many people are called Honey on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.