Find out how popular the last name Hornsby is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hornsby.

Hornsby, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hornsby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hornsby in America

Hornsby is the 4850th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hornsby surname appeared 7,267 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hornsby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hornsby to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hornsby

The surname Hornsby is of English origin, derived from a place name that can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated in the village of Hornsby, located in the county of Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "horn" and "by," meaning "horn-shaped village" or "village by the horn-shaped bend in the river."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hornsby can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was spelled "Hornesbi" in this medieval document, reflecting the phonetic spelling of the time.

During the 13th century, the surname Hornsby appeared in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where it was documented as "Hornesby" and "Hornsebi." This period also saw the emergence of the variant spelling "Hornesby," which was used by several families in the region.

Notable individuals who carried the Hornsby surname include William Hornsby (1490-1554), who was a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Nottinghamshire. Another notable figure was Richard Hornsby (1624-1697), a scholar and clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Stafford.

In the 18th century, John Hornsby (1744-1823) gained recognition as a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and published several influential works on the subject.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Hornsby was William Henry Hornsby (1805-1884), a pioneering English engineer and industrialist. He founded the Hornsby Company, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery and steam engines, which played a pivotal role in the industrialization of British agriculture.

Another notable figure was Sir Benjamin Hornsby (1848-1927), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and held various important naval commands during his career.

Throughout its history, the surname Hornsby has been associated with various place names and geographical locations, such as Hornsby in New South Wales, Australia, which was named after John Hornsby, an early settler in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hornsby

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hornsby.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hornsby was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hornsby has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hornsby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hornsby, please contact us.

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