2000
#2,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Houck
Derived from the Middle High German word "houc," meaning a hill or mound, likely referring to a person living near one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,558 Americans carry the last name Houck. That puts it at #2,973 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houck 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
14K
1 in 25,281
Census rank
#2,973
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,823 bearers of the surname Houck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2973rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houck
The surname Houck has its origins in Germany, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "huc," meaning "hook" or "bend," suggesting that it may have been an occupational surname for someone who made or worked with hooks.
Houck is also thought to be related to the German place name "Hauck," a small village located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. This connection to a specific location suggests that the name may have originated as a locative surname, denoting someone who came from or lived in that particular area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Houck can be found in the church records of the town of Worms, Germany, where a certain Johannes Houck was mentioned in 1567. Other early references include the birth record of Hans Houck in the town of Mainz in 1589, and the marriage record of Matthias Houck and Anna Maria Schneider in the village of Alzey in 1612.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Hauck, Hauk, Houk, and Hauke. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local record keepers.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Houck throughout history include:
1. Balthasar Houck (1612-1687), a German theologian and author of several religious texts.
2. Johanna Houck (1746-1819), a German-American pioneer who settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the late 18th century.
3. Adam Houck (1798-1876), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.
4. Gottfried Houck (1829-1899), a German-American engineer who designed and built several bridges and railroads in the American West.
5. Eliza Houck (1854-1928), an American educator and women's rights activist who co-founded the Missouri Equal Rights Association.
While the surname Houck may not be as widespread as some other German surnames, it has a rich history spanning centuries and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houck
Among Census respondents with the surname Houck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Houck 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 Houck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 10,865
- Two or more races3.3% · 385
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 312
- Black or African American1.1% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houck
Houck 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
#2,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,634
+176 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Down 187 places
2020
#2,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,823
-811 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,667 | 12,458 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,854 | 12,634 | 4.28 | +176 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 187 places |
| 2020 | #2,973 | 11,823 | 3.96 | -811 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 119 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 Houck 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 | #2,854 | #2,973 | -4.2% |
| Count | 12,634 | 11,823 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.28 | 3.96 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houck bearers went from 12,634 to 11,823 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,854 to #2,973.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Houck
FAQ
Houck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houck?
Name Census estimates that about 13,558 living Americans carry the surname Houck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,281 residents.
How common is Houck?
Houck ranks #2,973 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,823 people with the surname Houck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Houck.
Has Houck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houck went from 12,634 recorded bearers to 11,823. That is a decrease of 811 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,854 to #2,973.
What does the Census say about the background of Houck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Houck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (10,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Houck (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 Houck mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "houc," meaning a hill or mound, likely referring to a person living near one. 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 Houck (3.96 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 people have the surname Houck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.