2000
#4,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,724
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.49
Rare Last name
Hume
From the medieval given name Hugh, which originally denoted a person of great intellect or spirit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,237 Americans carry the last name Hume. That puts it at #5,330 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hume 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 Hume with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,361
Census rank
#5,330
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,311 bearers of the surname Hume in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5330th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hume, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hume
The surname Hume is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Old English word 'hoh', meaning a hill or ridge. It is believed to have originated in the town of Hume, located in the Scottish Borders region, which dates back to the 12th century.
The name Hume is first recorded in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of parchment rolls that documented the sworn allegiance of Scotland's nobles and gentry to Edward I of England following his invasion of Scotland. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir Thomas Hume, who was a prominent figure in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English in the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Hume family rose to prominence as one of the most powerful families in the Scottish Borders region. They were known for their involvement in the frequent border skirmishes and raids between Scotland and England. One notable member of the family was Alexander Hume, who was appointed as the Lord Warden of the Scottish East Marches in 1513.
The Hume surname has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One of the most famous bearers of the name was David Hume (1711-1776), the Scottish philosopher, historian, and essayist, who is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. Another prominent figure was Joseph Hume (1777-1855), a British politician and radical reformer who campaigned for various causes, including the abolition of slavery and the reform of Parliament.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hume include:
1. Tobias Hume (1569-1645), an English soldier, composer, and writer on military tactics.
2. Alexander Hume-Campbell (1812-1892), a Scottish philosopher and theologian.
3. Basil Hume (1923-1999), a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 to 1999.
4. Iain Hume (born 1984), a Canadian professional soccer player.
5. David Hume (1756-1838), a Scottish philosopher and nephew of the more famous David Hume.
The surname Hume has also been associated with various place names, such as Humewood, Humehaugh, and Hume Castle, all of which are located in the Scottish Borders region. The name has been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Hume, Hom, Home, and Howme.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hume
Among Census respondents with the surname Hume, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hume 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 Hume surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 5,551
- Two or more races4.1% · 258
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 228
- Black or African American2.8% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hume
Hume 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
#5,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,573
-151 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 500 places
2020
#5,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,311
-262 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,801 | 6,724 | 2.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,301 | 6,573 | 2.23 | -151 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 500 places |
| 2020 | #5,330 | 6,311 | 2.11 | -262 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 29 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 Hume 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 | #5,301 | #5,330 | -0.5% |
| Count | 6,573 | 6,311 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.23 | 2.11 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hume bearers went from 6,573 to 6,311 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,301 to #5,330.
FAQ
Hume surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hume?
Name Census estimates that about 7,237 living Americans carry the surname Hume. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,361 residents.
How common is Hume?
Hume ranks #5,330 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,311 people with the surname Hume. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hume.
Has Hume become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hume went from 6,573 recorded bearers to 6,311. That is a decrease of 262 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,301 to #5,330.
What does the Census say about the background of Hume?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hume, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) 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 Hume in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (5,551 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hume appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%), 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 Hume (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 Hume mean?
From the medieval given name Hugh, which originally denoted a person of great intellect or spirit. 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 Hume (2.11 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 have the last name Hume?
See how many people are called Hume on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.