2000
#14,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,908
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Housman
An English surname derived from the occupation of a servant or household steward.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,100 Americans carry the last name Housman. That puts it at #15,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Housman 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 Housman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,216
Census rank
#15,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,831 bearers of the surname Housman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Housman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Housman
Among Census respondents with the surname Housman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Housman 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 Housman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,666
- Two or more races4.0% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 48
- Black or African American0.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Housman
Housman 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
#16,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,802
-106 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,684 places
2020
#15,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,831
+29 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,387 | 1,908 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,071 | 1,802 | 0.61 | -106 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 1,684 places |
| 2020 | #15,422 | 1,831 | 0.61 | +29 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 649 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 Housman 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 | #16,071 | #15,422 | 4.0% |
| Count | 1,802 | 1,831 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.61 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Housman bearers went from 1,802 to 1,831 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 649 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,071 to #15,422.
FAQ
Housman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Housman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,100 living Americans carry the surname Housman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,216 residents.
How common is Housman?
Housman ranks #15,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,831 people with the surname Housman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Housman.
Has Housman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Housman went from 1,802 recorded bearers to 1,831. That is an increase of 29 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,071 to #15,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Housman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Housman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Housman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Housman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Housman (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 Housman mean?
An English surname derived from the occupation of a servant or household steward. 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 Housman (0.61 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 Housman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Housman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.