2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Houmard
A surname originating from the French word "homard" meaning "lobster".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Houmard. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houmard 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Houmard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houmard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houmard
The surname Houmard originated in France, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to derive from the Old French word "houmard," which means a lobster or a crayfish. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who had a particular physical characteristic or occupation related to these crustaceans.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Houmard name was Guillemin Houmard, a merchant from the town of Rouen in Normandy, who was mentioned in a local census record in 1195. The name also appeared in various medieval documents from the regions of Picardy and Champagne, often with slight spelling variations such as Houmaire, Houmart, or Houmaire.
In the 13th century, a knight named Renaud Houmard was recorded as having fought in the Seventh Crusade, which took place between 1248 and 1254. His name is engraved on a list of crusaders from the region of Reims, preserved in the archives of the local cathedral.
During the 14th century, the Houmard name gained prominence in the town of Épernay, located in the Champagne region. A notable figure from this era was Jacques Houmard, a wealthy vintner and landowner who was born in 1327 and died in 1402. Records show that he owned several vineyards and played a significant role in the local wine trade.
In the 16th century, a family of Houmards settled in the city of Montpellier in southern France. One of their descendants, Jean Houmard (1548-1622), became a respected physician and authored several medical treatises on topics such as disease prevention and herbal remedies.
Another noteworthy figure bearing the Houmard name was Marie Houmard (1694-1772), a French writer and poet who gained recognition for her work in the literary salons of Paris. Her collection of poems, entitled "Fleurs de Poésie," was published in 1738 and received critical acclaim.
Throughout its history, the Houmard surname has been associated with various locations and place names in France, including the villages of Houmart and Houmaire in the Aisne department, as well as the commune of Houmard in the Marne region. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houmard
Among Census respondents with the surname Houmard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Houmard 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 Houmard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 11
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houmard
Houmard appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+11 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,744 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 8,744 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 Houmard 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 | #151,532 | #142,788 | 5.8% |
| Count | 108 | 119 | 10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houmard bearers went from 108 to 119 (+10.2% change). The surname moved up 8,744 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #142,788.
FAQ
Houmard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houmard?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Houmard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Houmard?
Houmard ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Houmard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Houmard.
Has Houmard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houmard went from 108 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 11 (+10.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Houmard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houmard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Houmard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houmard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (9.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Houmard (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 Houmard mean?
A surname originating from the French word "homard" meaning "lobster". 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 Houmard (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Houmard?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.