2000
#15,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,804
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Honore
French surname derived from the Latin name Honorius, meaning "honor" or referring to someone who behaved honorably.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,740 Americans carry the last name Honore. That puts it at #12,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Honore 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
2.7K
1 in 125,093
Census rank
#12,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,389 bearers of the surname Honore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Honore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Honore
The surname Honore originated in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "honorer," which means "to honor." This name was likely given to someone who was highly respected or held in high esteem within their community.
During the Middle Ages, many French surnames were derived from occupations, personal characteristics, or locations. The name Honore may have been given to individuals who held positions of honor or were considered honorable members of society.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Honore can be found in the Cartulaire de Cambrai, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions a person named Honoré de Tournai, who was a member of the clergy in the city of Tournai.
In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Honoré d'Autun, who was from the city of Autun in Burgundy. He was known for his involvement in the Crusades and his service to the French monarchy.
Another notable individual with the surname Honore was Frédéric Honoré, a French artist and painter who lived in the 18th century (1718-1801). He was renowned for his portraits and historical paintings, many of which can be found in museums throughout France.
In the 19th century, there was a French novelist and dramatist named Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850). He is considered one of the founders of literary realism and is best known for his multi-volume work, La Comédie humaine, which depicts French society during his time.
The surname Honore can also be traced back to various place names in France, such as Honoré-les-Bains, a commune in the Nièvre department, and Honoré, a former commune in the Isère department, which was later merged with the commune of Saint-Nazaire-les-Eymes.
Throughout history, the name Honore has been spelled in various ways, including Honoré, Honorey, and Honory. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Honore
Among Census respondents with the surname Honore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Honore 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 Honore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.6% · 1,734
- White15.2% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 156
- Two or more races4.9% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Honore
Honore 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
#13,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,191
+387 bearers (+21.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 1,226 places
2020
#12,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
+198 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 1,388 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,024 | 1,804 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,798 | 2,191 | 0.74 | +387 bearers (+21.5%) | Up 1,226 places |
| 2020 | #12,410 | 2,389 | 0.80 | +198 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 1,388 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 Honore 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 | #13,798 | #12,410 | 10.1% |
| Count | 2,191 | 2,389 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.80 | 8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Honore bearers went from 2,191 to 2,389 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 1,388 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,798 to #12,410.
FAQ
Honore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Honore?
Name Census estimates that about 2,740 living Americans carry the surname Honore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,093 residents.
How common is Honore?
Honore ranks #12,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,389 people with the surname Honore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Honore.
Has Honore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Honore went from 2,191 recorded bearers to 2,389. That is an increase of 198 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,798 to #12,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Honore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Honore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Hispanic (6.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Honore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (1,734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Honore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.6%), White (15.2%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Honore (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 Honore mean?
French surname derived from the Latin name Honorius, meaning "honor" or referring to someone who behaved honorably. 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 Honore (0.80 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 Honore?
See how many Americans have the surname Honore on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.