2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hovagimian
An Armenian surname potentially derived from a personal name or a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Hovagimian. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hovagimian 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Hovagimian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovagimian, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hovagimian
The surname Hovagimian originates from Armenia, an ancient country located in the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia. The name can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 10th to 13th centuries, when Armenia was a powerful kingdom.
Hovagimian is derived from the Armenian words "hov" meaning "wind" and "agim" meaning "spirit" or "soul." It likely referred to someone with a spirited or lively personality, reminiscent of the wind. The name may have been given as a descriptive nickname that later became a hereditary surname.
In its early forms, the name was spelled variations like Hovagimyan, Hovakimian, or Hovakimyan, reflecting the fluid nature of surnames in those times. It is possible that the name was associated with a specific region or village in historic Armenia, but records from that era are scarce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hovagimian surname appears in a 14th-century manuscript documenting the nobility and clergy of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The document mentions a certain Hovagim Ter-Hovagimian, a prominent ecclesiastic figure.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Hovagimian surname. In the 16th century, Khachatur Hovagimian was a renowned Armenian calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts. His beautiful works are preserved in various museums and libraries around the world.
During the 18th century, Movses Hovagimian (1704-1786) was a prominent Armenian poet and scholar. He authored several works on history, philosophy, and literature, and played a significant role in the Armenian cultural revival of that era.
In the 19th century, Soghomon Hovagimian (1837-1911) was a respected educator and writer. He founded several schools in Ottoman Armenia and published numerous educational texts and literary works.
Another notable figure was Aghavni Hovagimian (1877-1965), a pioneering Armenian feminist and activist. She fought for women's rights and education, establishing schools and organizations to empower women in a patriarchal society.
Lastly, Hrant Hovagimian (1930-2008) was a celebrated Armenian composer and conductor. His works encompassed various genres, from symphonic pieces to film scores, and he made significant contributions to Armenian classical music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hovagimian
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovagimian, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hovagimian 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 Hovagimian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hovagimian
Hovagimian 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,219 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 20,219 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Hovagimian 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hovagimian bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Hovagimian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hovagimian?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Hovagimian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Hovagimian?
Hovagimian ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Hovagimian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Hovagimian.
Has Hovagimian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hovagimian went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Hovagimian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovagimian, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Hovagimian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hovagimian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Hovagimian (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 Hovagimian mean?
An Armenian surname potentially derived from a personal name or a place name. 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 Hovagimian (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 have the last name Hovagimian?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Hovagimian on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.