Find out how popular the last name Hum is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hum.

Hum, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hum in America

Hum is the 24352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hum surname appeared 1,029 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hum to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hum

The surname Hum is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "hummel," which means "bumblebee." This could suggest that the name may have been an occupational surname for a beekeeper or someone who worked with bees.

In the earliest known records, the name was often spelled as "Humm" or "Hummell." One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Humm, a farmer from the village of Oberndorf in Bavaria, who was born around 1510.

The name Hum can also be found in some historical records from the 17th century. For instance, in the parish records of St. Martin's Church in Bamberg, Germany, there is a record of a Johann Hum, who was born in 1623.

As the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, it took on various spellings and forms, such as "Hümm," "Hümmel," and "Hümmelchen." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and linguistic influences.

One notable individual with the surname Hum was Johann Baptist Hum, a German composer and organist who lived from 1769 to 1839. He was born in Grossaitingen, Bavaria, and is known for his contributions to church music.

Another historical figure with this surname was Gottlieb Hum, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1796 to 1879. He taught at the University of Jena and wrote several works on philosophy and religion.

In the 19th century, the name Hum can be found in records from various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. For example, there was a Johann Hum, born in 1842 in Bregenz, Austria, who worked as a blacksmith.

One notable individual from this period was Karl Hum, a German artist and painter who lived from 1850 to 1920. He was known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Bavaria.

As the name spread further afield, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to other continents through migration. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Hum in the United States and Canada from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, likely descendants of German immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hum

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hum.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hum was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hum has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hum was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hum, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!