2000
#4,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,698
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Rare Last name
Houle
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a small hill, knoll, or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,111 Americans carry the last name Houle. That puts it at #4,322 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,620 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houle 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 Houle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,620
Census rank
#4,322
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,945 bearers of the surname Houle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4322nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houle
The surname Houle has its origins in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "houlle," which means "hill" or "mound." Originally, the name was likely used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a hill or on a small mound of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Houle surname appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that individuals with the name had migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
In medieval times, the name was often spelled with variations such as "Hoole," "Hole," and "Houlle." These alternative spellings were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that period.
The Houle surname can also be traced back to specific geographic locations in France. For instance, the village of Houlle, located in the northern region of Pas-de-Calais, is believed to be a place of origin for some Houle families.
Notable individuals with the surname Houle throughout history include Louis Houle (1663-1739), a French-Canadian farmer and one of the earliest settlers in the Trois-Rivières region of Quebec. Another prominent figure was Léon Houle (1839-1905), a Canadian priest and educator who founded the École d'Agriculture de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, one of the first agricultural schools in Quebec.
In the realm of literature, Édouard Houle (1898-1966) was a Canadian poet and journalist known for his works exploring themes of nature and rural life. Additionally, Gilles Houle (1921-2002) was a renowned Canadian anthropologist and ethnographer who conducted extensive research on the indigenous cultures of Quebec and Labrador.
The Houle surname has also been carried by notable individuals in the field of sports, such as Roger Houle (1927-2016), a Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1940s and 1950s.
These examples demonstrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals bearing the Houle surname throughout history, reflecting the name's enduring presence across various regions and fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houle
Among Census respondents with the surname Houle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Houle 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 Houle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 6,729
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.4% · 506
- Two or more races4.8% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 230
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
- Black or African American0.6% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houle
Houle 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
#4,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,364
+666 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Up 19 places
2020
#4,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,945
-419 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,258 | 7,698 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,239 | 8,364 | 2.84 | +666 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 19 places |
| 2020 | #4,322 | 7,945 | 2.66 | -419 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 83 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 Houle 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 | #4,239 | #4,322 | -2.0% |
| Count | 8,364 | 7,945 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.84 | 2.66 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houle bearers went from 8,364 to 7,945 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,239 to #4,322.
FAQ
Houle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houle?
Name Census estimates that about 9,111 living Americans carry the surname Houle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,620 residents.
How common is Houle?
Houle ranks #4,322 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,945 people with the surname Houle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Houle.
Has Houle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houle went from 8,364 recorded bearers to 7,945. That is a decrease of 419 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,239 to #4,322.
What does the Census say about the background of Houle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Houle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (6,729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Houle (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 Houle mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a small hill, knoll, or mound. 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 Houle (2.66 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 Houle?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Houle at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.