2000
#4,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,991
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.59
Rare Last name
Huntington
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Huntington, meaning "hunting settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,048 Americans carry the last name Huntington. That puts it at #4,877 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,589 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huntington 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 Huntington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,589
Census rank
#4,877
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,018 bearers of the surname Huntington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4877th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huntington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huntington
The surname Huntington originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "hunta" meaning hunter and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. It is a locational name, denoting someone who lived near a settlement where hunters resided or engaged in hunting activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Huntendune" in various entries referring to locations in Hampshire, Herefordshire, and Staffordshire. This suggests that the name was already established in different regions of England by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Huntingdon, Huntyngdon, and Huntyndun, reflecting the evolving spelling practices of the time. The town of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, which dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, likely contributed to the widespread use of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Huntington include Robert Huntington (c. 1636-1698), an early settler in Connecticut and one of the founders of the town of Norwich. Another prominent figure was Samuel Huntington (1731-1796), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the fifth President of the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War.
In the literary world, Jedediah Huntington (1743-1818) was a prominent author and teacher, best known for his works on geography and ethics. William Huntington (1745-1813) was an English preacher and author, known for his writings on Calvinism and his influential role in the Calvinist Methodist movement.
Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate, who played a pivotal role in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad and the development of the American West. His name lives on in the city of Huntington, West Virginia, which was named in his honor.
While the name Huntington has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by immigrants and travelers. Its rich history and connections to notable individuals make it a surname with a fascinating lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huntington
Among Census respondents with the surname Huntington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Huntington 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 Huntington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 5,954
- Black or African American4.3% · 305
- Two or more races3.8% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 253
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 157
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huntington
Huntington 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
#4,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,306
+315 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#4,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,018
-288 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,637 | 6,991 | 2.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,831 | 7,306 | 2.48 | +315 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #4,877 | 7,018 | 2.35 | -288 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 46 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 Huntington 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 | #4,831 | #4,877 | -1.0% |
| Count | 7,306 | 7,018 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.35 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huntington bearers went from 7,306 to 7,018 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,831 to #4,877.
FAQ
Huntington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huntington?
Name Census estimates that about 8,048 living Americans carry the surname Huntington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,589 residents.
How common is Huntington?
Huntington ranks #4,877 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 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 7,018 people with the surname Huntington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,048), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 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 Huntington.
Has Huntington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huntington went from 7,306 recorded bearers to 7,018. That is a decrease of 288 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,831 to #4,877.
What does the Census say about the background of Huntington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huntington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Huntington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (5,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huntington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Huntington (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 Huntington mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Huntington, meaning "hunting settlement." 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 Huntington (2.35 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 Huntington?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.