2000
#655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,470
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.60
Uncommon Last name
Humphrey
From the Old English words for "peaceful" and "power," likely referring to a gentle ruler or peaceful warrior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,515 Americans carry the last name Humphrey. That puts it at #722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,405 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Humphrey 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 Humphrey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,405
Census rank
#722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,668 bearers of the surname Humphrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Humphrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Humphrey
The surname HUMPHREY has its origins in medieval England, derived from the Germanic personal name Hunfrid, meaning "peace" and "peace voyage." It emerged as a distinct surname during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
The earliest known record of the HUMPHREY surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. It appears as "Humfridus" and "Hunfridus" in various entries, indicating the name's widespread use at the time.
In the 12th century, the name HUMPHREY gained prominence when Humphrey de Bohun (c. 1145-1181) served as a prominent nobleman and military leader during the reign of King Henry II. He was granted extensive lands and held the position of Lord High Constable of England.
Another notable figure was Humphrey de Bassingbourne (c. 1268-1344), an English landowner and military commander who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Edward I. He was granted estates in Cambridgeshire and held important administrative roles.
During the 14th century, Humphrey de Bohun (c. 1342-1373), the 7th Earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton, played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was a renowned military leader and fought alongside the Black Prince at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
The surname HUMPHREY also gained literary significance with the works of Humphrey Llwyd (c. 1527-1568), a Welsh poet, cartographer, and antiquarian. He wrote extensively about Welsh history, traditions, and folklore, contributing to the preservation of Welsh culture.
In the 17th century, Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c. 1539-1583) was an English explorer and navigator who led several expeditions to establish English colonies in North America. He was granted a royal patent by Queen Elizabeth I and is remembered for his failed attempt to establish a settlement in Newfoundland.
The HUMPHREY surname has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Humphrey Head in Cumbria and Humphrey Farm in Oxfordshire, reflecting the family's historical presence and influence in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Humphrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Humphrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Humphrey 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 Humphrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 31,919
- Black or African American22.5% · 10,481
- Two or more races4.6% · 2,167
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,552
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 270
Timeline
Historical Census data for Humphrey
Humphrey 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
#705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,056
+1,586 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 16.63
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,668
-2,388 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 15.61
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #655 | 47,470 | 17.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #705 | 49,056 | 16.63 | +1,586 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #722 | 46,668 | 15.61 | -2,388 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 17 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 Humphrey 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 | #705 | #722 | -2.4% |
| Count | 49,056 | 46,668 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.63 | 15.61 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Humphrey bearers went from 49,056 to 46,668 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #705 to #722.
FAQ
Humphrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Humphrey?
Name Census estimates that about 53,515 living Americans carry the surname Humphrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,405 residents.
How common is Humphrey?
Humphrey ranks #722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,668 people with the surname Humphrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Humphrey.
Has Humphrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Humphrey went from 49,056 recorded bearers to 46,668. That is a decrease of 2,388 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #705 to #722.
What does the Census say about the background of Humphrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Humphrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Humphrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (31,919 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Humphrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Black (22.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Humphrey (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 Humphrey mean?
From the Old English words for "peaceful" and "power," likely referring to a gentle ruler or peaceful warrior. 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 Humphrey (15.61 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 Americans have the surname Humphrey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.