2000
#1,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.44
Uncommon Last name
Houser
An occupational surname referring to someone who built or lived in houses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,724 Americans carry the last name Houser. That puts it at #1,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houser 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
23K
1 in 15,083
Census rank
#1,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,816 bearers of the surname Houser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houser, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houser
The surname HOUSER has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "hausen," which means "to live" or "to dwell." The surname was initially used to refer to individuals who lived in a particular house or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HOUSER can be found in the town of Hausen, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The town's name is believed to have given rise to the surname, as it was common practice for people to adopt surnames based on their place of residence or origin.
In the 17th century, the HOUSER surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Historical records from this period mention several individuals bearing the name HOUSER, such as Johann HOUSER, a farmer from the village of Hausen, who was born in 1625.
As the HOUSER family expanded and migrated to different parts of Europe, the surname underwent minor variations in spelling, including HAUSER, HAUSEN, and HAUSSER. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the preferences of local record-keepers.
One notable figure in history who bore the HOUSER surname was Friedrich HOUSER, a German philosopher and writer born in 1768. HOUSER made significant contributions to the field of ethics and was known for his work on moral philosophy.
Another prominent individual with the HOUSER surname was Johann HOUSER, a German artist born in 1792. HOUSER was renowned for his landscape paintings and is considered a pioneer of the Romantic movement in German art.
In the 19th century, the HOUSER surname began to appear in various parts of the world as German immigrants settled in new lands. One such example is Johann HOUSER, a German immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1845 and settled in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the HOUSER surname include Wilhelm HOUSER, a German botanist born in 1825, and Maximilian HOUSER, a German military officer who served in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
While the surname HOUSER is primarily associated with Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Australia, as German immigrants sought new opportunities and settled in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houser
Among Census respondents with the surname Houser, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Houser 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 Houser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 16,661
- Black or African American8.1% · 1,609
- Two or more races3.5% · 686
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 643
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houser
Houser 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
#1,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,484
+406 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 6.94
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#1,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,816
-668 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 6.63
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,632 | 20,078 | 7.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,749 | 20,484 | 6.94 | +406 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #1,765 | 19,816 | 6.63 | -668 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 16 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 Houser 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 | #1,749 | #1,765 | -0.9% |
| Count | 20,484 | 19,816 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.94 | 6.63 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houser bearers went from 20,484 to 19,816 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,749 to #1,765.
FAQ
Houser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houser?
Name Census estimates that about 22,724 living Americans carry the surname Houser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,083 residents.
How common is Houser?
Houser ranks #1,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,816 people with the surname Houser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,724), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Houser.
Has Houser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houser went from 20,484 recorded bearers to 19,816. That is a decrease of 668 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,749 to #1,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Houser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houser, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Houser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (16,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Houser (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 Houser mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who built or lived in houses. 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 Houser (6.63 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 Houser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.