2000
#13,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Horrell
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "filthy hill" or "muddy hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,431 Americans carry the last name Horrell. That puts it at #13,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horrell 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 Horrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,993
Census rank
#13,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,120 bearers of the surname Horrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horrell
The surname Horrell has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. This name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "horu" and "hyll," which collectively translate to "hill of dirt or mud." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or on a muddy hill.
The name can be traced back to various counties in England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. One of the earliest documented references to the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it is recorded as "Horhull."
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Horhull," "Horhyll," and "Horell," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332 mention a "Johannes Horhull," while the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1380 list a "Willelmus Horhulle."
One notable early bearer of the name was John Horrell, a landowner from Oxfordshire who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for the county in 1428. Another early reference is found in the Inquisitiones Post Mortem for Gloucestershire from 1436, which mentions a "Thomas Horell."
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name stabilized closer to its modern form. The Parish Registers of Warwickshire from 1558 mention a "William Horrell," while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1624 list a "Johannes Horrell."
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Horrell. One example is Sir John Horrell (1565-1622), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the early 17th century. Another is William Horrell (1678-1747), an English clergyman and author who published works on theology and philosophy.
In the 18th century, Thomas Horrell (1727-1795) was a renowned English clockmaker from London, known for his innovative designs and high-quality timepieces. Towards the end of the century, John Horrell (1770-1828) was an English artist and portrait painter, recognized for his works depicting prominent figures of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, Charles Horrell (1809-1882) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons and the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Horrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Horrell 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 Horrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,908
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 82
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Black or African American2.3% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horrell
Horrell 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
#12,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,441
+280 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 343 places
2020
#13,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,120
-321 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,005 | 2,161 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,662 | 2,441 | 0.83 | +280 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 343 places |
| 2020 | #13,685 | 2,120 | 0.71 | -321 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 1,023 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 Horrell 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 | #12,662 | #13,685 | -8.1% |
| Count | 2,441 | 2,120 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.71 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horrell bearers went from 2,441 to 2,120 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 1,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,662 to #13,685.
FAQ
Horrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horrell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,431 living Americans carry the surname Horrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,993 residents.
How common is Horrell?
Horrell ranks #13,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,120 people with the surname Horrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Horrell.
Has Horrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horrell went from 2,441 recorded bearers to 2,120. That is a decrease of 321 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,662 to #13,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Horrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Horrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Horrell (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 Horrell mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "filthy hill" or "muddy hill." 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 Horrell (0.71 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 surname Horrell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.