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

Hou, 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 Hou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hou in America

Hou is the 7395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hou surname appeared 4,500 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 Hou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hou 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 Hou

The surname "HOU" is believed to have originated in China, with its earliest known records dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is thought to be derived from the Chinese word "hou," which means "marquis" or "lord," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with individuals of noble or aristocratic status.

During the Tang Dynasty, the name "HOU" appeared in various historical documents and records, including government records and literary works. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the "Book of Tang," a historical record of the Tang Dynasty compiled in the 10th century.

The name "HOU" also has ties to several place names in China. For instance, the city of Hou'an in Fujian Province and the Hou River in Hubei Province may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname across different regions.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "HOU" was Hou Junji (816-896 AD), a prominent scholar and poet during the late Tang Dynasty. Another notable figure was Hou Xun (1546-1620), a renowned calligrapher and painter during the Ming Dynasty.

In the 13th century, the Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan appointed Hou Anguo as the governor of Yunnan Province, further solidifying the presence of the "HOU" name in Chinese history.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the name "HOU" was also associated with the Hou clan, a powerful family that produced several high-ranking officials and intellectuals, including Hou Gaoxiang (1023-1093), a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar and philosopher.

Throughout the centuries, the "HOU" surname has been carried by numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including literature, art, politics, and academia. Some notable examples include Hou Hsiao-hsien, a celebrated Taiwanese film director born in 1947, and Hou Yifan, a Chinese chess grandmaster born in 1994.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hou

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

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 Hou 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 Hou 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 Hou was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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