2000
#2,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,090
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.59
Uncommon Last name
Hough
From a place name derived from Middle English 'hoh,' meaning a ridge, a heel of land, or a spur of a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,723 Americans carry the last name Hough. That puts it at #2,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hough 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 Hough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,496
Census rank
#2,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,583 bearers of the surname Hough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hough, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hough
The surname HOUGH is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hoh," meaning a ridge or hill. It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived on or near a hill or ridge. The name was first recorded in the 12th century, with early spellings including Hogh, Hoghe, and Hough.
The name HOUGH can be traced back to various regions in England, particularly in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, where many early bearers of the name were found. In the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, there are references to places with similar names, such as Houghton and Hougham, which may have given rise to the surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOUGH is found in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1176, which mention a Richard de Hough. Another notable early bearer was John de Hough, who was recorded in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297.
Over the centuries, the HOUGH surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Sir Richard Hough (c. 1370-1456), a wealthy English landowner and Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V.
Another prominent figure was John Hough (1651-1743), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Worcester and later, the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. He played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
In the arts, John Hough (1651-1705) was an English composer and musician who served as the organist at the Chapel Royal during the reign of King William III.
The name HOUGH has also been associated with several notable military figures, such as Sir Archibald Hough (1849-1923), a British naval officer and Admiral of the Fleet, and Sir John Hough (1886-1972), a British Army officer who served in both World Wars.
In the realm of literature, John Hough (1917-2003) was an American writer and playwright known for his works including "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "The Lone Pursuer."
While these are just a few examples, the surname HOUGH has a rich history spanning centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, clergymen, artists, military leaders, and writers, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hough
Among Census respondents with the surname Hough, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hough 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 Hough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 11,677
- Black or African American10.7% · 1,565
- Two or more races4.3% · 628
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 495
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 137
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hough
Hough 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
#2,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,549
+459 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 5.27
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#2,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,583
-966 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 4.88
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,208 | 15,090 | 5.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,345 | 15,549 | 5.27 | +459 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #2,426 | 14,583 | 4.88 | -966 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 81 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 Hough 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 | #2,345 | #2,426 | -3.5% |
| Count | 15,549 | 14,583 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.27 | 4.88 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hough bearers went from 15,549 to 14,583 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,345 to #2,426.
FAQ
Hough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hough?
Name Census estimates that about 16,723 living Americans carry the surname Hough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,496 residents.
How common is Hough?
Hough ranks #2,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,583 people with the surname Hough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Hough.
Has Hough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hough went from 15,549 recorded bearers to 14,583. That is a decrease of 966 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,345 to #2,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Hough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hough, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (11,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (10.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hough (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 Hough mean?
From a place name derived from Middle English 'hoh,' meaning a ridge, a heel of land, or a spur of a hill. 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 Hough (4.88 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 Hough?
See how many people have the last name Hough on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.