2000
#4,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Rare Last name
Horning
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the horn-shaped land" in Old English, referring to a peninsula or spit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,332 Americans carry the last name Horning. That puts it at #4,726 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horning 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
8.3K
1 in 41,137
Census rank
#4,726
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,266 bearers of the surname Horning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4726th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horning, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horning
The surname Horning is of Anglo-Saxon origin, with roots dating back to the 5th century. It is derived from the Old English word "horn," which referred to a horn-shaped piece of land or a horn-like bend in a river. The earliest recorded use of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Horninges" and "Horninge."
The name was initially associated with people who lived near a horn-shaped piece of land or a river bend. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down from generation to generation. The earliest recorded instance of the name Horning is in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where a Robert de Horning is mentioned.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "Hornyng," "Hornyngg," and "Hornyng." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions at the time.
One notable figure in history with the surname Horning was Sir John Horning (c. 1535-1590), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as a captain in the English army and was knighted for his military service.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Horning (1623-1701), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 17th century. He served as the pastor of the First Church of Boston and played a significant role in the religious and intellectual life of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In the 18th century, William Horning (1731-1813) was a notable American surveyor and mapmaker. He was responsible for surveying and mapping large portions of what is now West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Scotland can be found in the records of St. Andrews Priory in the late 12th century, where a "Radulfus de Horning" is mentioned.
In more recent times, John Horning (1896-1957) was a renowned American architect known for his work in the Art Deco style. He designed several iconic buildings in Los Angeles, including the Bullocks Wilshire and the Richfield Tower.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horning
Among Census respondents with the surname Horning, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Horning 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 Horning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 6,860
- Two or more races2.6% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
- Black or African American0.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horning
Horning 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
#4,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,322
+589 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#4,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,266
-56 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Up 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,793 | 6,733 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,820 | 7,322 | 2.48 | +589 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #4,726 | 7,266 | 2.43 | -56 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 94 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 Horning 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 | #4,820 | #4,726 | 2.0% |
| Count | 7,322 | 7,266 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.43 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horning bearers went from 7,322 to 7,266 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,820 to #4,726.
FAQ
Horning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horning?
Name Census estimates that about 8,332 living Americans carry the surname Horning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,137 residents.
How common is Horning?
Horning ranks #4,726 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,266 people with the surname Horning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,332), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Horning.
Has Horning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horning went from 7,322 recorded bearers to 7,266. That is a decrease of 56 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,820 to #4,726.
What does the Census say about the background of Horning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horning, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Horning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (6,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Horning (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 Horning mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the horn-shaped land" in Old English, referring to a peninsula or spit. 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 Horning (2.43 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 Horning?
You can see how many people have the last name Horning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.