2000
#21,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Humiston
A surname possibly derived from the Middle English words "hume" and "ton," suggesting a person from a farmstead or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,256 Americans carry the last name Humiston. That puts it at #23,868 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 272,894 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Humiston 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
1.3K
1 in 272,894
Census rank
#23,868
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,095 bearers of the surname Humiston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23868th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Humiston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Humiston
The surname Humiston is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "hum" and "tun," which together mean "homestead on a hill" or "farm on a ridge."
The earliest known records of the Humiston name can be traced back to the 13th century, with several references appearing in various historical documents and parish records from that time. One notable mention is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which list a "William de Humiston" as a landowner in the county.
During the late medieval and early modern periods, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where various spellings such as Humeston, Humyston, and Hummiston were used interchangeably.
In the 16th century, a John Humiston was recorded as a freeman of the City of York in 1532, suggesting the presence of the name in urban areas as well as rural settlements. Additionally, a Thomas Humiston was listed in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1592, providing evidence of the name's continued use in the region.
One notable figure bearing the Humiston surname was Sir Robert Humiston (1585-1657), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in the 17th century. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Parliamentarian cause before later switching allegiance to the Royalists.
Another individual of historical significance was William Humiston (1640-1711), a renowned clockmaker from Lincolnshire who was renowned for his intricate and beautifully crafted timepieces. Several of his works are still preserved in museums and private collections across the United Kingdom.
In the 18th century, the name Humiston began to appear in various records from the American colonies, suggesting that some bearers of the surname had emigrated from England to the New World during this period. One such individual was John Humiston (1725-1798), a farmer and Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Saratoga and other key engagements of the American Revolutionary War.
As the centuries progressed, the Humiston surname continued to spread across various regions, with notable bearers including the British explorer and naturalist William Humiston (1815-1891), who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the South Pacific, and the American artist and illustrator Emily Humiston (1860-1932), whose works were featured in numerous publications and exhibitions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Humiston
Among Census respondents with the surname Humiston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Humiston 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 Humiston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,011
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 36
- Two or more races2.7% · 30
- Black or African American0.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Humiston
Humiston 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
#21,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,240
+107 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 320 places
2020
#23,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,095
-145 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 2,695 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,493 | 1,133 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,173 | 1,240 | 0.42 | +107 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 320 places |
| 2020 | #23,868 | 1,095 | 0.37 | -145 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 2,695 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 Humiston 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 | #21,173 | #23,868 | -12.7% |
| Count | 1,240 | 1,095 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.37 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Humiston bearers went from 1,240 to 1,095 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 2,695 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,173 to #23,868.
FAQ
Humiston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Humiston?
Name Census estimates that about 1,256 living Americans carry the surname Humiston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 272,894 residents.
How common is Humiston?
Humiston ranks #23,868 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,095 people with the surname Humiston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,256), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Humiston.
Has Humiston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Humiston went from 1,240 recorded bearers to 1,095. That is a decrease of 145 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,173 to #23,868.
What does the Census say about the background of Humiston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Humiston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Humiston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Humiston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Humiston (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 Humiston mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Middle English words "hume" and "ton," suggesting a person from a farmstead or village. 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 Humiston (0.37 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 Humiston?
Find out how many people are called Humiston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.