Horry
A topographic name for someone living near an area of pollarded trees.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 446 Americans carry the last name Horry. That puts it at #53,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 768,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horry surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
446
1 in 768,507
Census rank
#53,538
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
386
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 386 bearers of the surname Horry in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horry
The surname Horry originated in the county of Lancashire, England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hore", meaning mud or dirt, combined with the suffix "-y" denoting a place name. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a muddy area or marsh.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Horry name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1246, where a Adam de Hori is mentioned. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 also list a Richard de Hory residing in the township of Osbaldeston in Lancashire.
By the 16th century, various spellings of the name began to emerge, including Hory, Horie, and Horrie. In 1586, the Lancashire Church records mention the baptism of a James Horie in Whalley parish. The Horry spelling itself first appears in the Bury parish registers from 1614 with the marriage of John Horry and Elizabeth Haworth.
A notable early bearer of the Horry name was Thomas Horry, born around 1593 in Lancashire. He was a Puritan clergyman who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and served as the minister of Charlestown until his death in 1649.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Horry families were recorded as landowners and yeomen farmers in the Lancashire parishes of Bury, Whalley, and Blackburn. One prominent figure was Peter Horry, born in 1743, who was a cavalry officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and served under General Francis Marion, earning the nickname "Marion's Horry".
Other individuals of note include Joseph Horry (1773-1834), an English painter and engraver, and Christopher Horry (1778-1830), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor of Gibraltar from 1828 until his death.
In the 19th century, the Horry surname spread beyond Lancashire as families migrated to other parts of England and abroad to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the name remained relatively uncommon compared to many other English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horry
Among Census respondents with the surname Horry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Horry bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Horry surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.1%
- White35.2%
- Hispanic or Latino3.1%
- Two or more races1.8%
- Unknown or suppressed0.8%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Horry surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #53,420 | #53,538 | -0.2% |
| Count | 363 | 386 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Horry bearers went from 363 to 386 (+6.3% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,420 to #53,538.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Horry
FAQ
Horry surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Horry?
The surname Horry holds position #53,538 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 446 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Horry surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.