2000
#5,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Huss
Derived from the Middle High German term "hussen," meaning to dart or dash, likely referring to a fast runner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,041 Americans carry the last name Huss. That puts it at #5,472 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huss 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 Huss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,680
Census rank
#5,472
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,140 bearers of the surname Huss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5472nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huss
The surname HUSS has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Huss", which means "hut" or "cap". The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who wore a distinctive hat or cap, possibly as part of their occupation or regional attire.
In the early medieval period, surnames were not widely used, and people were typically identified by their given name, occupation, or distinguishing physical characteristic. As the use of hereditary surnames became more common in the 12th and 13th centuries, the name HUSS began to appear in various regions of Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HUSS can be found in the Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Hans Huss was mentioned in a document dated 1369. This suggests that the name was already established in southern Germany during the 14th century.
Another notable figure bearing the surname HUSS was Jan Hus (c. 1369-1415), a Czech philosopher, reformer, and master at the University of Prague. Hus was a key predecessor to the Protestant Reformation and was condemned as a heretic by the Catholic Church. He was burned at the stake in 1415, becoming a significant figure in the Hussite movement in Bohemia.
In the 16th century, the name HUSS appeared in various German-speaking regions, including the Palatinate, Saxony, and Silesia. During this period, the spelling variations "Husz" and "Husse" were also documented. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Huss (1537-1609), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of planetary motion.
As the name spread across Europe, it found its way into other languages and cultures. In the Netherlands, the name took the form "Hus", while in France it became "Husset" or "Housset". In England, the name was anglicized to "Huss" or "Huse".
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the surname HUSS. These include Johann Huss (1718-1794), a German painter and engraver; Rudolf Huss (1892-1967), a German film actor and director; and Hans Huss (1919-2008), a Swiss artist and sculptor known for his abstract works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huss
Among Census respondents with the surname Huss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Huss 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 Huss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 5,739
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 156
- Two or more races2.5% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 57
- Black or African American0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huss
Huss 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
#5,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,346
+60 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 360 places
2020
#5,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,140
-206 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,121 | 6,286 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,481 | 6,346 | 2.15 | +60 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 360 places |
| 2020 | #5,472 | 6,140 | 2.05 | -206 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 9 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 Huss 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 | #5,481 | #5,472 | 0.2% |
| Count | 6,346 | 6,140 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.05 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huss bearers went from 6,346 to 6,140 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,481 to #5,472.
FAQ
Huss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huss?
Name Census estimates that about 7,041 living Americans carry the surname Huss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,680 residents.
How common is Huss?
Huss ranks #5,472 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 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 6,140 people with the surname Huss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 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 Huss.
Has Huss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huss went from 6,346 recorded bearers to 6,140. That is a decrease of 206 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,481 to #5,472.
What does the Census say about the background of Huss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Huss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (5,739 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Huss (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 Huss mean?
Derived from the Middle High German term "hussen," meaning to dart or dash, likely referring to a fast runner. 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 Huss (2.05 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 common is the surname Huss?
Want to know how many people have the last name Huss? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.