2000
#10,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,756
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Hornung
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements horn, referring to a horn, and ung, meaning "young".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,164 Americans carry the last name Hornung. That puts it at #11,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hornung 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
3.2K
1 in 108,329
Census rank
#11,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,759 bearers of the surname Hornung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornung, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hornung
The surname Hornung is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "horn," meaning "horn." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century and was likely an occupational name for a horn maker or someone who worked with horns.
Hornung was initially found in various regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century, with mentions in historical documents and records from that time period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hornung can be found in the Deutsches Namenbuch, a comprehensive German name dictionary published in the late 19th century. The book cites several examples of the name's usage, including Johannes Hornung, who was mentioned in records from the city of Nürnberg in 1349.
Another notable mention of the name comes from the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which includes a reference to a certain Heinricus Hornung in the year 1421.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Hornungh, Hornungk, and Hörnungk. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local customs.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hornung was Hans Hornung, a German painter who lived in the late 15th century and was known for his religious works. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Hornung, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century and wrote several influential works on theology and ethics.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the town of Schwabach in Bavaria, with a mention of a family named Hornung residing there in the year 1642. This family was likely involved in the local horn-making trade or related industries.
The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Caspar Hornung, a German engraver and painter who was born in 1737 and became renowned for his intricate copperplate engravings and portraits.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Hornung was Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, better known as E.T.A. Hoffmann, a German Romantic author, composer, and artist who lived from 1776 to 1822. His works, such as the novel "The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr," have had a lasting impact on literature and popular culture.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Hornung, which has its roots in the medieval German language and has been associated with various occupations and regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hornung
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornung, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hornung 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 Hornung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 2,583
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 94
- Two or more races2.1% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hornung
Hornung 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
#11,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
+74 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 519 places
2020
#11,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,759
-71 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,655 | 2,756 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,174 | 2,830 | 0.96 | +74 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 519 places |
| 2020 | #11,008 | 2,759 | 0.92 | -71 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 166 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 Hornung 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 | #11,174 | #11,008 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,830 | 2,759 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.92 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hornung bearers went from 2,830 to 2,759 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,174 to #11,008.
FAQ
Hornung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hornung?
Name Census estimates that about 3,164 living Americans carry the surname Hornung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,329 residents.
How common is Hornung?
Hornung ranks #11,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,759 people with the surname Hornung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hornung.
Has Hornung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hornung went from 2,830 recorded bearers to 2,759. That is a decrease of 71 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,174 to #11,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Hornung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornung, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Hornung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hornung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Hornung (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 Hornung mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements horn, referring to a horn, and ung, meaning "young". 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 Hornung (0.92 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 Hornung?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Hornung, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.