2000
#10,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Hou
A Chinese surname meaning "marquis" or "nobleman," or referring to someone from Hou County in Shanxi Province, China.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,536 Americans carry the last name Hou. That puts it at #5,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,482 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hou 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 Hou with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,482
Census rank
#5,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,572 bearers of the surname Hou in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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During the Tang Dynasty, the name "HOU" appeared in various historical documents and records, including government records and literary works.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hou
Among Census respondents with the surname Hou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hou 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 Hou surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.9% · 6,171
- White3.2% · 208
- Two or more races1.6% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 42
- Black or African American0.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hou
Hou 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
#7,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,500
+1,542 bearers (+52.1%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 2,654 places
2020
#5,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,572
+2,072 bearers (+46.0%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Up 2,251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,049 | 2,958 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,395 | 4,500 | 1.53 | +1,542 bearers (+52.1%) | Up 2,654 places |
| 2020 | #5,144 | 6,572 | 2.20 | +2,072 bearers (+46.0%) | Up 2,251 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 Hou 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 | #7,395 | #5,144 | 30.4% |
| Count | 4,500 | 6,572 | 46.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 2.20 | 43.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hou bearers went from 4,500 to 6,572 (+46.0% change). The surname moved up 2,251 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,395 to #5,144.
FAQ
Hou surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hou?
Name Census estimates that about 7,536 living Americans carry the surname Hou. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,482 residents.
How common is Hou?
Hou ranks #5,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,572 people with the surname Hou. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,536), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hou.
Has Hou become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hou went from 4,500 recorded bearers to 6,572. That is an increase of 2,072 (+46.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,395 to #5,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Hou?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (6,171 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hou appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.9%), White (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Hou (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 Hou mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "marquis" or "nobleman," or referring to someone from Hou County in Shanxi Province, China. 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 Hou (2.20 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 Hou?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.