2000
#8,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Husband
An occupational surname referring to a farmer or one who works the land, derived from Middle English "husbandman."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,106 Americans carry the last name Husband. That puts it at #6,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Husband 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 Husband with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,134
Census rank
#6,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,325 bearers of the surname Husband in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Husband, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Hispanic (11.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Husband
The surname Husband is an English occupational name derived from the Middle English word "husbonde," which ultimately comes from the Old Norse "husbondi," meaning the master or head of the household. This name first appeared in England around the 11th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the Husband surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Husbonde." This suggests that the name was already in use in England before the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Husband was most prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. These areas had a strong Norse influence, which likely contributed to the adoption and spread of the name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Husband surname was William Husband, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190. Another notable figure was Robert Husband, a merchant from York who lived in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Husband surname was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled "Husbanc" or "Husbande." One of the earliest recorded Scottish bearers was John Husbande, who was a burgess of Aberdeen in 1534.
During the 17th century, members of the Husband family were among the early settlers in the American colonies. For example, John Husband, born in 1624, was one of the founders of Somerset County, Maryland.
Other notable individuals with the Husband surname throughout history include:
1. Edward Husband (1590-1670), an English clergyman and author.
2. Herman Husband (1724-1795), an American Quaker leader and activist during the American Revolution.
3. Joseph Husband (1822-1909), an English painter and engraver.
4. William Husband (1823-1887), a Scottish-American theologian and educator.
5. Thomas Husband (1841-1919), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire.
While the Husband surname has its roots in England and Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and the influence of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Husband
Among Census respondents with the surname Husband, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Hispanic (11.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Husband 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 Husband surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.7% · 3,179
- Black or African American21.6% · 1,150
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 616
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 202
- Two or more races2.8% · 150
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Husband
Husband 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
#9,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,480
+51 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 549 places
2020
#6,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,325
+1,845 bearers (+53.0%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 3,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,798 | 3,429 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,347 | 3,480 | 1.18 | +51 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 549 places |
| 2020 | #6,165 | 5,325 | 1.78 | +1,845 bearers (+53.0%) | Up 3,182 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 Husband 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 | #9,347 | #6,165 | 34.0% |
| Count | 3,480 | 5,325 | 53.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.78 | 51.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Husband bearers went from 3,480 to 5,325 (+53.0% change). The surname moved up 3,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,347 to #6,165.
FAQ
Husband surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Husband?
Name Census estimates that about 6,106 living Americans carry the surname Husband. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,134 residents.
How common is Husband?
Husband ranks #6,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,325 people with the surname Husband. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Husband.
Has Husband become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Husband went from 3,480 recorded bearers to 5,325. That is an increase of 1,845 (+53.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,347 to #6,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Husband?
Among Census respondents with the surname Husband, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Hispanic (11.6%). 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 Husband in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.7% (3,179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Husband appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.7%), Black (21.6%), Hispanic (11.6%). 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 Husband (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 Husband mean?
An occupational surname referring to a farmer or one who works the land, derived from Middle English "husbandman." 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 Husband (1.78 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 have the last name Husband?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Husband, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.