2000
#96,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Hornibrook
A toponymic surname derived from a place name containing the elements "horn" and "brook".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 229 Americans carry the last name Hornibrook. That puts it at #97,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,496,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hornibrook 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 Hornibrook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
229
1 in 1,496,744
Census rank
#97,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
200
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 200 bearers of the surname Hornibrook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornibrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hornibrook
The surname Hornibrook is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, derived from the Old English words "horne" meaning a horn or a curved point of land, and "brook" referring to a small stream. It is likely that the name originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a curved brook or stream.
The earliest recorded mention of the surname Hornibrook can be traced back to the 13th century in the county of Renfrewshire, Scotland. In 1296, a man named John de Hornebroke is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage pledges made to King Edward I of England by Scottish noblemen and landowners.
In the 16th century, the Hornibrook family held lands in the parish of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire. The name appears in various spellings in historical records, including Hornebroke, Hornbrook, and Hornbruke.
One notable bearer of the Hornibrook surname was Sir Alexander Hornibrook (1600-1670), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Provost of Glasgow from 1651 to 1653. He played a significant role in the city's affairs during the turbulent times of the English Civil War.
Another prominent Hornibrook was James Hornibrook (1785-1855), a Scottish engineer and contractor who was responsible for building several important bridges and roads in the Glasgow area, including the Hutchesontown Bridge over the River Clyde.
In the 19th century, the Hornibrook family branched out to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond. William Hornibrook (1825-1901), a Scottish-born engineer, emigrated to Australia in the 1850s and became known for his work on the construction of railways and bridges in Queensland.
John Hornibrook (1856-1920), born in Glasgow, Scotland, was a successful businessman and politician in Australia. He served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and was involved in various commercial ventures, including mining and real estate.
Frances Pulsford Hornibrook (1820-1900), an English-born artist and writer, was known for her watercolor paintings and travel writings. She documented her travels through Europe and the Middle East in books such as "A Year's Housekeeping in South Africa" and "Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hornibrook
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornibrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hornibrook 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 Hornibrook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 7
- Two or more races3.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hornibrook
Hornibrook 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
#89,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
+32 bearers (+18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 6,964 places
2020
#97,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
-8 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,290 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,033 | 176 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,069 | 208 | 0.07 | +32 bearers (+18.2%) | Up 6,964 places |
| 2020 | #97,359 | 200 | 0.07 | -8 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 8,290 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 Hornibrook 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 | #89,069 | #97,359 | -9.3% |
| Count | 208 | 200 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hornibrook bearers went from 208 to 200 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 8,290 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,069 to #97,359.
FAQ
Hornibrook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hornibrook?
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the surname Hornibrook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,496,744 residents.
How common is Hornibrook?
Hornibrook ranks #97,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 200 people with the surname Hornibrook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Hornibrook.
Has Hornibrook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hornibrook went from 208 recorded bearers to 200. That is a decrease of 8 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,069 to #97,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Hornibrook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornibrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hornibrook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hornibrook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hornibrook (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 Hornibrook mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name containing the elements "horn" and "brook". 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 Hornibrook (0.07 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 Hornibrook?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Hornibrook at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.