2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Honeychurch
A surname derived from a location or place name involving a church associated with honey or beekeeping.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Honeychurch. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Honeychurch 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 Honeychurch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Honeychurch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Honeychurch, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Honeychurch
The surname Honeychurch has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "huna" meaning "honey" and "cirice" meaning "church." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place where honey was produced or sold near a church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Honeychurch can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Hunecherche." This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Honychurch" and "Hunychurche" in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1344 and the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1379.
During the 16th century, the name was recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Henbury, Gloucestershire, where a John Honeychurch was listed in 1583. This suggests that the Honeychurch family had established roots in the region at that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Honeychurch was William Honeychurch (c. 1610-1683), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stoke Charity in Hampshire.
Another individual of historical significance was John Honeychurch (1655-1718), a British naval officer who served as a Captain in the Royal Navy and participated in several battles during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various parish records across England, including the christening of Mary Honeychurch in 1732 at St. Mary's Church in Henbury, Gloucestershire.
During the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Honeychurch was Sir John Honeychurch (1801-1879), a British politician and landowner who served as the Member of Parliament for Tiverton from 1852 to 1857.
Another notable individual was Thomas Honeychurch (1824-1901), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Bristol, including the Bristol Sailors' Home and the Bristol Trades and Provident Societies building.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Honeychurch
Among Census respondents with the surname Honeychurch, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Honeychurch 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 Honeychurch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 95
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Honeychurch
Honeychurch 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,253 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 18,253 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,464 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 Honeychurch 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 | #146,201 | #148,665 | -1.7% |
| Count | 113 | 111 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Honeychurch bearers went from 113 to 111 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #148,665.
FAQ
Honeychurch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Honeychurch?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Honeychurch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Honeychurch?
Honeychurch ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Honeychurch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Honeychurch.
Has Honeychurch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Honeychurch went from 113 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Honeychurch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Honeychurch, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Honeychurch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Honeychurch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Two or More Races (7.2%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Honeychurch (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 Honeychurch mean?
A surname derived from a location or place name involving a church associated with honey or beekeeping. 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 Honeychurch (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 surname Honeychurch?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.