Humphrey last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Humphrey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Humphrey.

Meaning of Humphrey

A surname of English origin, derived from the personal name Humphrey, meaning "peaceful warrior."

Humphrey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Humphrey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Humphrey in America

Humphrey is the 104602nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Humphrey surname appeared 171 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Humphrey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Humphrey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank1046028330122.67%
Count171210-20.47%
Proportion per 100k0.060.08-28.57%

The history of the last name Humphrey

The surname Humprey is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Hunfrið" or "Hunfrið." This name is composed of the elements "hun" meaning "bear cub" and "frið" meaning "peace." The surname likely emerged in the 11th century or earlier, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England.

One of the earliest documented references to the surname Humprey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and their holdings across England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Humfrei," "Humfrey," and "Humphrey."

In the 12th century, a notable bearer of the name was Humphrey de Bohun, a prominent Anglo-Norman nobleman and military commander who lived from around 1144 to 1181. He served as the Lord of Trowbridge and held significant lands in Wiltshire.

Another influential figure was Humphrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who lived from around 1208 to 1263. He played a crucial role in the Barons' War against King Henry III and was a prominent figure in the political turmoil of the 13th century.

During the 14th century, the surname Humprey was also associated with various places in England, such as Humphrey Head in Cumbria and Humphrey's Bank in Worcestershire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who had settled or owned land in those areas.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who lived from 1391 to 1447. He was a younger son of King Henry IV of England and served as the Lord Protector of England during the minority of his nephew, King Henry VI.

In the 16th century, Laurence Humphrey, an English Protestant theologian and Oxford University reformer, made significant contributions to the Church of England. He lived from 1527 to 1590 and played a pivotal role in shaping the religious landscape of England during the Reformation.

The surname Humprey continued to be prominent in various fields throughout history, with notable individuals such as John Humphrey, a 17th-century English settler in Connecticut, and James Humphrey, an 18th-century English naval architect and shipbuilder.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Humphrey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Humphrey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Humphrey was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only42.69%73
Non-Hispanic Black Only46.20%79
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races4.09%7
Hispanic Origin4.09%7

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Humphrey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White42.69%53.81%-23.05%
Black46.20%40.00%14.39%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races4.09%2.86%35.40%
Hispanic4.09%(S)%(S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Humphrey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Humphrey, please contact us.

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