2000
#15,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Human
A surname derived from the word "human" referring to a person or humanity in general.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,533 Americans carry the last name Human. That puts it at #13,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Human 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Human with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,316
Census rank
#13,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,209 bearers of the surname Human in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Human, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Human
The surname Human is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word "human", meaning a human being. It likely originated as a nickname for someone who was considered very humanlike or personable, perhaps in contrast to someone who was seen as less than human or more beast-like.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the late 13th century in Norfolk, England. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 make mention of a John Human residing in that county. Similarly, the Placita de Quo Warranto records from 1293 reference a William Human from Cambridgeshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various tax and court records across southern England. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a Thomas Human in Wiltshire, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1375 record a Walter Human.
Some early bearers of the name were closely tied to places whose names resemble the modern surname. For example, a Richard de Humane is recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, possibly linked to the village of Hume near Baswich. Similarly, a Henry de Humane appears in the Westminster Rolls from 1312, perhaps associated with Hume in Shropshire.
One of the earliest known notable individuals with the surname was Sir Matthew Human (c.1570-1649), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1629 to 1630. During the English Civil War, he famously refused to levy taxes to support the Royalist cause, leading to his imprisonment in 1643.
Another distinguished bearer was John Human (1619-1671), an English lawyer and politician who served as Recorder of Bristol from 1661 to 1671. He played a key role in suppressing the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 and was knighted by King James II for his loyalty.
In the artistic realm, the painter Thomas Human (c.1632-1688) was a notable figure from the mid-17th century. He specialized in portraits and historical paintings, though little is known of his personal life beyond a few existing works attributed to him.
Moving into the 18th century, we find William Human (1721-1801), an English clergyman and academic who served as Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge from 1786 until his death. He was also Archdeacon of Sudbury and a noted theological writer of his time.
Finally, in the 19th century, Edward Human (1809-1886) was a respected English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements (modern-day Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei) from 1867 to 1877. His legal expertise and rulings helped establish important precedents in colonial jurisprudence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Human
Among Census respondents with the surname Human, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Human 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 Human surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 1,718
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 193
- Black or African American6.5% · 143
- Two or more races4.6% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Human
Human 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
#16,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,715
+28 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 852 places
2020
#13,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,209
+494 bearers (+28.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 3,456 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,844 | 1,687 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,696 | 1,715 | 0.58 | +28 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 852 places |
| 2020 | #13,240 | 2,209 | 0.74 | +494 bearers (+28.8%) | Up 3,456 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 Human 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 | #16,696 | #13,240 | 20.7% |
| Count | 1,715 | 2,209 | 28.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.74 | 27.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Human bearers went from 1,715 to 2,209 (+28.8% change). The surname moved up 3,456 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,696 to #13,240.
FAQ
Human surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Human?
Name Census estimates that about 2,533 living Americans carry the surname Human. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,316 residents.
How common is Human?
Human ranks #13,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,209 people with the surname Human. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Human.
Has Human become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Human went from 1,715 recorded bearers to 2,209. That is an increase of 494 (+28.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,696 to #13,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Human?
Among Census respondents with the surname Human, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (6.5%). 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 Human in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (1,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Human appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Hispanic (8.7%), Black (6.5%). 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 Human (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 Human mean?
A surname derived from the word "human" referring to a person or humanity in general. 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 Human (0.74 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 Human?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Human at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.