2000
#5,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,501
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Houk
Derived from the Middle English word "hok," referring to someone who lived near a nook, corner, or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,079 Americans carry the last name Houk. That puts it at #6,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houk 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
6.1K
1 in 56,383
Census rank
#6,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,301 bearers of the surname Houk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houk, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houk
The surname Houk is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Hauk," which means "hawk" or "falcon." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who handled or trained hawks for hunting purposes.
The earliest known record of the Houk surname appears in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Schwabach, located in the Mittelfranken region of Bavaria, Germany. In these records, a person named Hans Hauk is mentioned in 1568.
In the 17th century, variations of the spelling began to emerge, such as Houck, Hauck, and Houk. These variations likely resulted from regional differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Houk surname was Johann Houk, born in 1642 in Franconia, Germany. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to live in the region for several generations.
Another notable figure was Christoph Houk, born in 1712 in Schwarzenbach, a town in the Palatinate region of Germany. He was a skilled blacksmith and is mentioned in local records for his contributions to the town's metalworking industry.
In the 18th century, some Houk families began to emigrate from Germany to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Johann Adam Houk, born in 1756 in Hesse, Germany. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States in 1784 and settled in the area that is now Berks County.
A famous bearer of the Houk surname was Wilhelm Houk, born in 1820 in Württemberg, Germany. He was a renowned architect and was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Stuttgart, including the Staatsgalerie and the Königsbau.
Another notable figure was Anna Houk, born in 1865 in Hesse, Germany. She was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights, founding several schools for girls in her home region.
While the surname Houk has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houk
Among Census respondents with the surname Houk, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Houk 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 Houk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 4,831
- Two or more races4.2% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 25
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houk
Houk 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
#6,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,560
+59 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 394 places
2020
#6,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,301
-259 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,763 | 5,501 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,157 | 5,560 | 1.88 | +59 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 394 places |
| 2020 | #6,193 | 5,301 | 1.77 | -259 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 36 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 Houk 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 | #6,157 | #6,193 | -0.6% |
| Count | 5,560 | 5,301 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.77 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houk bearers went from 5,560 to 5,301 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,157 to #6,193.
FAQ
Houk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houk?
Name Census estimates that about 6,079 living Americans carry the surname Houk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,383 residents.
How common is Houk?
Houk ranks #6,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.77 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 5,301 people with the surname Houk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,079), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.77 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 Houk.
Has Houk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houk went from 5,560 recorded bearers to 5,301. That is a decrease of 259 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,157 to #6,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Houk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houk, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Houk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (4,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Houk (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 Houk mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "hok," referring to someone who lived near a nook, corner, or 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 Houk (1.77 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 last name Houk?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Houk at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.