2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Horsham
An English habitational surname derived from the town of Horsham in West Sussex.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Horsham. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horsham 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 Horsham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Horsham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horsham, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (40.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horsham
The surname Horsham is of English origin, derived from the town of Horsham in West Sussex. The name is believed to have originated in the 8th or 9th century, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
Horsham is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hors" meaning horse and "ham" meaning homestead or village. This suggests that the name may have referred to a settlement or homestead where horses were kept or bred.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Horsham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Horsham." This entry provides evidence that the name and the town existed during the Norman Conquest of England.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named William de Horsham was recorded as a canon of Chichester Cathedral. Another early record is of John Horsham, who was a member of the Parliament of England in 1334.
During the 15th century, a prominent individual named Thomas Horsham was a merchant and alderman in the city of London. He lived from around 1420 to 1489.
In the 16th century, Richard Horsham was a clergyman and the vicar of Rudgwick, a village near Horsham in West Sussex. He lived from approximately 1520 to 1582.
In the 17th century, William Horsham was a notable figure who served as the Mayor of Horsham in 1666. He played a role in rebuilding the town after the devastating fire of 1663.
Throughout history, the surname Horsham has also been associated with various place names, such as Horsham in Norfolk, England, and Horsham in Victoria, Australia, which was named after the town in Sussex.
While the name Horsham is most commonly found in England, particularly in the southern counties, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horsham
Among Census respondents with the surname Horsham, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (40.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Horsham 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 Horsham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.0% · 52
- Black or African American40.7% · 46
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horsham
Horsham appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+8 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 7,686 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 Horsham 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 | #154,907 | #147,221 | 5.0% |
| Count | 105 | 113 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horsham bearers went from 105 to 113 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 7,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #147,221.
FAQ
Horsham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horsham?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Horsham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Horsham?
Horsham ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Horsham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Horsham.
Has Horsham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horsham went from 105 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 8 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Horsham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horsham, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (40.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Horsham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horsham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.0%), Black (40.7%), Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Horsham (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 Horsham mean?
An English habitational surname derived from the town of Horsham in West Sussex. 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 Horsham (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Horsham?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.