2000
#1,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.64
Uncommon Last name
Horner
One who made horn products, such as spoons or combs, or a player of the horn instrument.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,595 Americans carry the last name Horner. That puts it at #1,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,391 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horner 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 Horner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,391
Census rank
#1,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,320 bearers of the surname Horner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horner
The surname Horner has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It derives from the Old English word "horn" or "hyrne," which referred to a horn or a hornblower. The name likely originated as an occupational name for someone who played the horn or made horns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Horner can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a person named "Horner" living in Hertfordshire. Another early record is from the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, which include a reference to a "Horner" family.
In the 13th century, the surname Horner appeared in various forms, such as "Hornere" and "Hornor." These variations reflect the different spellings and pronunciations used in different regions of England at the time.
One notable individual with the surname Horner was Thomas Horner, a 15th-century English theologian and cleric who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1480 to 1494.
In the 16th century, the surname Horner was associated with a place name in Somerset, England, called "Horner." This connection suggests that some individuals with the surname may have derived their name from the location rather than the occupational origin.
In the 17th century, John Horner (1622-1683) was a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wells, Somerset.
Another notable figure was Francis Horner (1778-1817), a Scottish lawyer, politician, and co-founder of the Edinburgh Review. He was a prominent Whig politician and played a significant role in the abolition of the slave trade.
In the 19th century, Leonard Horner (1785-1864) was a Scottish geologist and factory inspector who made significant contributions to the field of geology and advocated for improved working conditions in factories.
Throughout history, the surname Horner has been prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Hertfordshire, where it is believed to have originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horner
Among Census respondents with the surname Horner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Horner 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 Horner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 19,759
- Two or more races3.7% · 830
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 767
- Black or African American2.9% · 657
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horner
Horner 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
#1,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,881
+573 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 8.10
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#1,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,320
-1,561 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 7.47
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,393 | 23,308 | 8.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,500 | 23,881 | 8.10 | +573 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #1,565 | 22,320 | 7.47 | -1,561 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 65 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 Horner 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 | #1,500 | #1,565 | -4.3% |
| Count | 23,881 | 22,320 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 8.10 | 7.47 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horner bearers went from 23,881 to 22,320 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,500 to #1,565.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Horner
FAQ
Horner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horner?
Name Census estimates that about 25,595 living Americans carry the surname Horner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,391 residents.
How common is Horner?
Horner ranks #1,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,320 people with the surname Horner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Horner.
Has Horner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horner went from 23,881 recorded bearers to 22,320. That is a decrease of 1,561 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,500 to #1,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Horner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Horner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (19,759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Horner (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 Horner mean?
One who made horn products, such as spoons or combs, or a player of the horn instrument. 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 Horner (7.47 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 Horner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.