2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Horchem
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Horchem. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horchem 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Horchem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horchem, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horchem
The surname HORCHEM is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to derive from the German word "Horchen," which means "to listen" or "to heed." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone whose occupation involved listening or paying close attention, such as a sentinel or a guard.
One of the earliest known records of the name HORCHEM can be found in the town of Schönau, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. In a document from 1587, a certain Hans HORCHEM is mentioned as a local resident. This document provides valuable insight into the geographical distribution of the name during that time period.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the HORCHEM name appeared in various church records and local registers across various regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bavaria. This suggests that the name had spread and taken root in different parts of the country over time.
In the 19th century, the HORCHEM surname gained more prominence with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Johann Friedrich HORCHEM (1802-1879), a German philosopher and writer who published several works on ethics and moral philosophy. Another was Wilhelm HORCHEM (1832-1902), a German entrepreneur who founded a successful brewing company in the city of Cologne.
As the 20th century dawned, the HORCHEM name continued to be associated with various individuals from different walks of life. Hans HORCHEM (1901-1976) was a German artist known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life. Gertrude HORCHEM (1923-2005) was a respected academic and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages.
One of the most notable individuals with the HORCHEM surname in recent history was Karl HORCHEM (1927-2010), a German politician who served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1965 to 1990. He was a prominent figure in the Christian Democratic Union party and played a significant role in shaping Germany's post-war political landscape.
While the HORCHEM name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to immigration patterns over the past few centuries. However, the historical records and notable individuals mentioned above provide a glimpse into the rich heritage and evolution of this surname within its country of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horchem
Among Census respondents with the surname Horchem, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Horchem 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 Horchem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 112
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horchem
Horchem 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,375 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 3,375 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 8,917 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 Horchem 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 | #138,304 | #147,221 | -6.4% |
| Count | 121 | 113 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horchem bearers went from 121 to 113 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 8,917 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #147,221.
FAQ
Horchem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horchem?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Horchem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Horchem?
Horchem ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Horchem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Horchem.
Has Horchem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horchem went from 121 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Horchem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horchem, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%). 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 Horchem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horchem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Horchem (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 Horchem mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Horchem (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 Americans have the surname Horchem?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.