2000
#13,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Huling
Derived from a place name meaning "hill people" or "people of the hills" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,241 Americans carry the last name Huling. That puts it at #14,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huling 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
2.2K
1 in 152,947
Census rank
#14,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,954 bearers of the surname Huling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huling, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huling
The surname Huling is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "hul," which means "hollow" or "hole." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hollow or a hole in the ground.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Huling can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Hulinc" and "Hulinge," indicating its evolution over time.
In the 14th century, a reference to a "Johannes Huling" can be found in the records of the city of Lübeck, a prominent trading center in northern Germany. This suggests that the name may have been associated with merchants or tradespeople during that period.
The Huling name is also linked to several notable figures throughout history. One such figure is Johann Huling, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His works are known for their intricate details and depictions of religious themes.
Another prominent individual with the Huling surname was Friedrich Huling, a German philosopher and writer who lived in the 18th century. He was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy, which influenced many thinkers of his time.
In the 19th century, the name Huling gained further recognition with the birth of Wilhelm Huling, a German botanist and explorer. He is renowned for his expeditions to various parts of Africa and his contributions to the study of African flora.
Additionally, the Huling name has connections to certain place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Hülingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg is believed to have derived its name from the Huling surname, suggesting that the name may have been associated with that particular region.
Throughout the centuries, the Huling surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as "Huhling," "Huhlingen," and "Hülingen," reflecting the linguistic and regional differences within Germany and neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huling
Among Census respondents with the surname Huling, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Huling 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 Huling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 1,490
- Black or African American15.1% · 295
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 70
- Two or more races3.3% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huling
Huling 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
#13,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,173
+141 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 203 places
2020
#14,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,954
-219 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 735 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,690 | 2,032 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,893 | 2,173 | 0.74 | +141 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 203 places |
| 2020 | #14,628 | 1,954 | 0.65 | -219 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 735 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 Huling 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 | #13,893 | #14,628 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,173 | 1,954 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.65 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huling bearers went from 2,173 to 1,954 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 735 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,893 to #14,628.
FAQ
Huling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huling?
Name Census estimates that about 2,241 living Americans carry the surname Huling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,947 residents.
How common is Huling?
Huling ranks #14,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,954 people with the surname Huling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Huling.
Has Huling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huling went from 2,173 recorded bearers to 1,954. That is a decrease of 219 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,893 to #14,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Huling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huling, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Huling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (1,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (15.1%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Huling (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 Huling mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill people" or "people of the hills" in Old English. 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 Huling (0.65 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 common is the surname Huling?
See how many people have the surname Huling on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.