2000
#620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,737
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.44
Uncommon Last name
Huffman
An occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked at a hill or ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 55,149 Americans carry the last name Huffman. That puts it at #692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huffman 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
55K
1 in 6,215
Census rank
#692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 48,093 bearers of the surname Huffman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huffman
The surname Huffman originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Hufschmied," which translates to "blacksmith" or "farrier," and was likely an occupational surname for those who worked as blacksmiths or shoed horses.
The name Huffman can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. In these areas, variations of the name appeared in historical records, such as Huffmann, Huffman, and Hufmann.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Huffman can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Kirchheim unter Teck in Württemberg, dated 1578. These records mention a Hans Huffman, who was a local blacksmith.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it evolved into various spellings and pronunciations. In the 18th century, several Huffman families emigrated from Germany to the American colonies, where the name took on a more Anglicized form.
Among the notable individuals bearing the surname Huffman throughout history are Johann Huffman (1639-1703), a German Lutheran theologian and author; David Huffman (1925-1999), an American computer scientist known for developing the Huffman coding algorithm; and Felicity Huffman (born 1962), an American actress best known for her role in the television series "Desperate Housewives."
Other notable Huffmans include Jasper Huffman (1788-1855), an American politician and farmer who served in the Virginia House of Delegates; Ella Huffman (1870-1939), an American educator and suffragist; and John Huffman (1932-2008), an American baseball player who played for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians in the 1950s.
Despite its German origins, the surname Huffman has become well-established in various parts of the world, particularly in the United States, where it continues to be a common surname among families of German descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huffman
Among Census respondents with the surname Huffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Huffman 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 Huffman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 42,327
- Black or African American4.3% · 2,050
- Two or more races3.7% · 1,786
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 1,389
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 285
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 256
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huffman
Huffman 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
#674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,786
+1,049 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 17.22
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,093
-2,693 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 16.09
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #620 | 49,737 | 18.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #674 | 50,786 | 17.22 | +1,049 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #692 | 48,093 | 16.09 | -2,693 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 18 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 Huffman 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 | #674 | #692 | -2.7% |
| Count | 50,786 | 48,093 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 17.22 | 16.09 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huffman bearers went from 50,786 to 48,093 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #674 to #692.
FAQ
Huffman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huffman?
Name Census estimates that about 55,149 living Americans carry the surname Huffman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,215 residents.
How common is Huffman?
Huffman ranks #692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 48,093 people with the surname Huffman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (55,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Huffman.
Has Huffman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huffman went from 50,786 recorded bearers to 48,093. That is a decrease of 2,693 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #674 to #692.
What does the Census say about the background of Huffman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Huffman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (42,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huffman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Huffman (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 Huffman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked at a hill or ridge. 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 Huffman (16.09 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 Huffman?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Huffman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.