2000
#14,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Houchins
A surname of French origin, possibly indicating someone from a town named Houchin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,027 Americans carry the last name Houchins. That puts it at #15,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,094 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houchins 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.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,094
Census rank
#15,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,768 bearers of the surname Houchins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houchins, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houchins
The surname Houchins has its origins in England, traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the old French word "huchon," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone who lived near a distinct hill or mound.
Houchins is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a particular place. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Huchon." This reference indicates that the name was already well-established in that part of England by the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records with slightly different spellings, such as "Huchin," "Hucchyn," and "Huchyn." These variations were common during that time due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Houchins. However, it does mention several place names that could be related to the name's origin, such as "Hucham" and "Huchene."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Houchins was John Houchins, born around 1520 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Houchins (1560-1631), a English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as the Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of King James I.
During the 17th century, the name appeared in various parish records and legal documents across England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.
In the late 18th century, William Houchins (1742-1820) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
Another individual of note was Mary Houchins (1810-1892), an English writer and poet who published several collections of works during the Victorian era.
The surname Houchins has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Houchin Farm in Oxfordshire and Houchin Hill in Somerset, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houchins
Among Census respondents with the surname Houchins, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Houchins 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 Houchins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 1,513
- Black or African American7.3% · 129
- Two or more races4.7% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houchins
Houchins 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
#15,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,881
-66 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,393 places
2020
#15,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,768
-113 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,158 | 1,947 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,551 | 1,881 | 0.64 | -66 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 1,393 places |
| 2020 | #15,866 | 1,768 | 0.59 | -113 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 315 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 Houchins 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 | #15,551 | #15,866 | -2.0% |
| Count | 1,881 | 1,768 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.59 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houchins bearers went from 1,881 to 1,768 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 315 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,551 to #15,866.
FAQ
Houchins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houchins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,027 living Americans carry the surname Houchins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,094 residents.
How common is Houchins?
Houchins ranks #15,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,768 people with the surname Houchins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,027), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Houchins.
Has Houchins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houchins went from 1,881 recorded bearers to 1,768. That is a decrease of 113 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,551 to #15,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Houchins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houchins, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Houchins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (1,513 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houchins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Houchins (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 Houchins mean?
A surname of French origin, possibly indicating someone from a town named Houchin. 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 Houchins (0.59 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 common is the surname Houchins?
You can see how many people have the last name Houchins on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.