Find out how popular the last name Housman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Housman.

Housman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Housman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Housman in America

Housman is the 16071st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Housman surname appeared 1,802 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Housman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Housman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Housman

The surname HOUSMAN is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hus" meaning house and "mann" meaning man or servant, signifying a household servant or domestic worker. This occupational surname first appeared in the late 12th century in various parts of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HOUSMAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1197, which mention a Robert Husman. The Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1273 also list a Hugo Husman.

The variant spelling HOWSMAN is recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, referring to a Walter Howsman. The HOUSMAN spelling appears in the Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire from 1379, listing a John Housman.

In the 16th century, the HOUSMAN surname was concentrated in the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland in northern England. Notable individuals from this region include Richard Housman (1564-1635), a clergyman and author from Coverdale, Yorkshire, and John Housman (1579-1647), a Church of England clergyman from Thornhill, Yorkshire.

One of the most famous bearers of the HOUSMAN surname was the English classical scholar and poet, Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936). Born in Fockbury, Worcestershire, he is best known for his cycle of poems "A Shropshire Lad" published in 1896.

Other notable individuals with the HOUSMAN surname include Laurence Housman (1865-1959), an English writer and illustrator, and John Houseman (1902-1988), a Romanian-born British-American actor and producer who co-founded the Mercury Theatre with Orson Welles.

The HOUSMAN surname has also been recorded in various place names, such as Housman's Cross in Westmorland, and Housman's Farm in Worcestershire, further reflecting its longstanding presence in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Housman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Housman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Housman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Housman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Housman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Housman, please contact us.

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