2000
#7,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,393
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Humble
An English surname derived from a nickname for a meek or unassuming person, or a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,022 Americans carry the last name Humble. That puts it at #7,335 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,251 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Humble 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 Humble with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,251
Census rank
#7,335
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,379 bearers of the surname Humble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7335th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Humble, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Humble
The surname Humble is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "humol," meaning "humble" or "lowly." It first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Humble can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a Roger Humole is mentioned. The name was also recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Humele."
During the Middle Ages, the surname Humble was likely associated with someone who possessed a humble or meek demeanor. It may have been used as a descriptive nickname or as a reference to a person's occupation or social status.
A notable individual bearing the surname Humble was John Humble, a 16th-century English Puritan minister who lived from 1551 to 1624. He served as a minister in various parishes in Wiltshire and Dorset and was known for his strong Puritan beliefs.
Another prominent figure with the surname Humble was William Humble, an English mathematician and astronomer born in 1701. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and served as the Plumian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge from 1742 until his death in 1765.
In the 18th century, the surname Humble was found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Oxfordshire. The name may have derived from place names such as Humble, a hamlet in the parish of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Yorkshire, or Humble, a township in the parish of Lund, Yorkshire.
Another notable figure with the surname Humble was George Humble, a British naval officer who lived from 1760 to 1840. He served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and his actions at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 earned him recognition and promotion.
In the 19th century, the surname Humble was found in various regions of England, including Lancashire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was Henry Humble, a British artist and engraver born in 1785 in Birmingham. He was known for his landscape paintings and engravings, which depicted scenes from various parts of England and Wales.
Throughout its history, the surname Humble has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including ministers, academics, naval officers, and artists. While the name originated as a descriptive term, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Humble
Among Census respondents with the surname Humble, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Humble 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 Humble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 3,754
- Black or African American5.9% · 259
- Two or more races3.7% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Humble
Humble 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
#7,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,588
+195 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#7,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,379
-209 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,031 | 4,393 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,264 | 4,588 | 1.56 | +195 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #7,335 | 4,379 | 1.47 | -209 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 71 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 Humble 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 | #7,264 | #7,335 | -1.0% |
| Count | 4,588 | 4,379 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.47 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Humble bearers went from 4,588 to 4,379 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,264 to #7,335.
FAQ
Humble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Humble?
Name Census estimates that about 5,022 living Americans carry the surname Humble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,251 residents.
How common is Humble?
Humble ranks #7,335 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,379 people with the surname Humble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Humble.
Has Humble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Humble went from 4,588 recorded bearers to 4,379. That is a decrease of 209 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,264 to #7,335.
What does the Census say about the background of Humble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Humble, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) 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 Humble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (3,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Humble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (5.9%), 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 Humble (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 Humble mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a meek or unassuming person, or a place name. 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 Humble (1.47 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 Humble?
Find out how many people are called Humble on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.