2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Huit
A French surname derived from the word meaning "eight."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 200 Americans carry the last name Huit. That puts it at #108,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,713,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huit 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
200
1 in 1,713,772
Census rank
#108,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
174
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 174 bearers of the surname Huit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huit, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Black (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huit
The surname HUIT is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "huit," which means "eight." The name likely referred to someone who lived at a location designated by the number eight, such as the eighth house on a street or the eighth farm in a village.
The earliest recorded instance of the HUIT surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. In 1273, a Robert Huit was mentioned in the tax records of the village of Caen. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that area by the late medieval period.
In the 14th century, the HUIT surname spread to other parts of France, including the regions of Brittany and Poitou. During this time, variations of the spelling emerged, such as "Huyt" and "Huict." These alternative spellings were likely the result of regional dialects and the evolution of the French language.
One notable historical figure bearing the HUIT surname was Jean Huit, a prominent merchant who lived in Paris during the 15th century. He was involved in the lucrative textile trade and is mentioned in several business records from the city's merchant guilds between 1463 and 1487.
In the 16th century, the HUIT name also appeared in the records of the town of Rouen, in the region of Normandy. A family of weavers named Huit is documented as residing in the St. Maclou parish during this period. Their descendants likely contributed to the continued use of the surname in that area.
Another person of note was Jacques Huit, a skilled stonemason who worked on the construction of the famous Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley during the early 16th century. His name can be found inscribed on one of the stone archways of the château, alongside other craftsmen who contributed to the building's construction.
During the 17th century, several members of the HUIT family were involved in the wine trade in the Bordeaux region of France. Records from the local merchant guilds mention Jacques Huit, a wine merchant who exported Bordeaux wines to England and the Netherlands between 1635 and 1662.
As the HUIT surname spread across France over the centuries, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through French immigration. However, the name remains most prevalent in its country of origin, where it has maintained a strong presence for over 700 years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huit
Among Census respondents with the surname Huit, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Black (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Huit 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 Huit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino16.7% · 29
- Black or African American6.9% · 12
- Two or more races4.0% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huit
Huit 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,904 places
2020
#108,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+53 bearers (+43.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 29,810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11,904 places |
| 2020 | #108,494 | 174 | 0.06 | +53 bearers (+43.8%) | Up 29,810 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 Huit 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 | #138,304 | #108,494 | 21.6% |
| Count | 121 | 174 | 43.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 45.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huit bearers went from 121 to 174 (+43.8% change). The surname moved up 29,810 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #108,494.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Huit
FAQ
Huit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huit?
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the surname Huit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,713,772 residents.
How common is Huit?
Huit ranks #108,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 174 people with the surname Huit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Huit.
Has Huit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huit went from 121 recorded bearers to 174. That is an increase of 53 (+43.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #138,304 to #108,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Huit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huit, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Black (6.9%). 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 Huit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Hispanic (16.7%), Black (6.9%). 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 Huit (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 Huit mean?
A French surname derived from the word meaning "eight." 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 Huit (0.06 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 Huit?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.