2000
#83,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Humston
An English locational surname derived from places named Humstone in Kent and Northamptonshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 214 Americans carry the last name Humston. That puts it at #102,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,601,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Humston 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
214
1 in 1,601,656
Census rank
#102,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
187
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 187 bearers of the surname Humston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Humston, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Humston
The surname Humston is of English origin, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Humeston." This suggests that the name may have derived from an Old English place name, possibly referring to a settlement or a farmstead.
As with many surnames of that era, Humston likely evolved from a descriptive term or a locational reference. Some scholars believe that it may have originated from the Old English words "hum" and "tun," which together could mean "a homestead on a hill" or "a homestead near a river bend."
By the 13th century, variations of the name started appearing in historical records, such as "Humeston," "Humestone," and "Humistone." These different spellings reflect the fluid nature of surnames during that period, as they were often transcribed phonetically.
One notable individual bearing the Humston surname was Sir Robert Humston, a knight who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in the Calendars of Inquisitions Post Mortem, a series of records documenting inheritance and land ownership in medieval England.
In the 16th century, the name Humston appeared in various parish registers and tax records across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. John Humston, born in 1547 in Yorkshire, was a prominent landowner and is recorded in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire from that period.
Another notable figure was William Humston, born in 1621 in Lincolnshire. He was a scholar and author, known for his treatise on the English language titled "The Principles of English Grammar."
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Humston surname spread beyond its northern English roots, with families bearing the name settling in other parts of the country. For instance, the Humston family of Gloucestershire can be traced back to the late 17th century, with records indicating their presence in the village of Painswick.
In the early 19th century, a branch of the Humston family migrated to the United States, with some members settling in the New England region. One such individual was James Humston, born in 1798 in Yorkshire, who later established himself as a prosperous farmer in Vermont.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Humston
Among Census respondents with the surname Humston, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Humston 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 Humston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 187
Timeline
Historical Census data for Humston
Humston 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
#92,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
-9 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,393 places
2020
#102,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
-12 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 10,213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,965 | 208 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #92,358 | 199 | 0.07 | -9 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 8,393 places |
| 2020 | #102,571 | 187 | 0.06 | -12 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 10,213 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 Humston 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 | #92,358 | #102,571 | -11.1% |
| Count | 199 | 187 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Humston bearers went from 199 to 187 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 10,213 positions in the national ranking, going from #92,358 to #102,571.
FAQ
Humston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Humston?
Name Census estimates that about 214 living Americans carry the surname Humston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,601,656 residents.
How common is Humston?
Humston ranks #102,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 187 people with the surname Humston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Humston.
Has Humston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Humston went from 199 recorded bearers to 187. That is a decrease of 12 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #92,358 to #102,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Humston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Humston, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Humston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Humston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Humston (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 Humston mean?
An English locational surname derived from places named Humstone in Kent and Northamptonshire. 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 Humston (0.06 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 share the surname Humston?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.