2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Houran
A locational surname indicating someone from the district of Hauran in Syria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Houran. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houran 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Houran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houran, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houran
The surname HOURAN is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of Hauran, which is located in modern-day Syria. The name is thought to have derived from the Arabic word "hawran," meaning "hollow" or "basin," referring to the geographical features of the area.
The earliest known record of the surname HOURAN dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in a manuscript documenting the families residing in the Hauran region. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Haurani" or "Hawrani," reflecting the Arabic pronunciation.
In the 13th century, several mentions of the HOURAN surname can be found in historical accounts of the Crusades, as some individuals bearing this name were involved in the conflicts between the Christian and Muslim forces in the region.
One notable figure from this period was Ibn al-Hourani (1210-1279), a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher who hailed from the Hauran region. His works on theology and jurisprudence had a significant influence on the intellectual landscape of the time.
As the centuries passed, the HOURAN surname spread beyond its place of origin, with some families migrating to other parts of the Middle East and eventually to Europe and the Americas.
In the 17th century, a branch of the HOURAN family settled in the Ottoman Empire, and records show that a certain Ahmed HOURAN (1625-1692) served as a high-ranking official in the imperial administration.
During the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the HOURAN surname was Khalil HOURAN (1818-1889), a prominent poet and literary figure from Lebanon. His works, which often celebrated the natural beauty and culture of the Levant region, gained widespread acclaim and influenced subsequent generations of Arab writers.
Another individual of note was Ibrahim HOURAN (1876-1944), a Syrian-born entrepreneur who established a successful trading company in Egypt. His business ventures played a significant role in facilitating trade between the Middle East and Europe during the early 20th century.
While the HOURAN surname may have originated in a specific region, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including academia, literature, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houran
Among Census respondents with the surname Houran, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Houran 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 Houran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houran
Houran 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
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-10 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 3,821 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 Houran 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 | #152,628 | #156,449 | -2.5% |
| Count | 107 | 97 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houran bearers went from 107 to 97 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 3,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,449.
FAQ
Houran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houran?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Houran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Houran?
Houran ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Houran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Houran.
Has Houran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houran went from 107 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Houran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houran, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Houran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Houran (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 Houran mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from the district of Hauran in Syria. 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 Houran (0.03 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 are called Houran?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Houran at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.