2000
#3,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.38
Uncommon Last name
Hussey
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made hose or leggings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,105 Americans carry the last name Hussey. That puts it at #3,908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hussey 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 Hussey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,919
Census rank
#3,908
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,812 bearers of the surname Hussey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hussey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hussey
The surname Hussey originated in Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "housseau," meaning "a little bush" or "a small thicket." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a dense growth of bushes or a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hussey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086. The name appears as "Hosatus" and "Hosatus Normandus," indicating that the bearer was of Norman descent.
In the 12th century, the Hussey family established themselves in Lincolnshire, England, where they held significant landholdings. Sir Henry Hussey (c. 1265-1349) was a prominent member of this family and served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1329 to 1331.
During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, Sir William Hussey (c. 1415-1495) was a staunch supporter of the House of Lancaster. He fought alongside King Henry VI and was rewarded with lands and titles for his loyalty.
Another notable figure was Sir James Hussey (c. 1470-1538), who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer under King Henry VIII. However, he fell out of favor with the monarch and was executed for his involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular uprising against the king's policies.
In the 17th century, Giles Hussey (1610-1667) was an English merchant and politician who served as Sheriff of London in 1655. He was known for his involvement in the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Another notable bearer of the Hussey name was Thomas Hussey (1792-1877), an Irish mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was appointed as the first Andrews Professor of Astronomy at the University of Dublin.
The Hussey surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Hussey Tower in Lincolnshire, which was once the family's ancestral seat, and Hussey's Mill in Wiltshire, named after a prominent local family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hussey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hussey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hussey 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 Hussey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 7,142
- Black or African American8.9% · 782
- Two or more races4.8% · 423
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 262
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hussey
Hussey 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
#3,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,176
+70 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 3.11
Rank movement Down 283 places
2020
#3,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,812
-364 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,584 | 9,106 | 3.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,867 | 9,176 | 3.11 | +70 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 283 places |
| 2020 | #3,908 | 8,812 | 2.95 | -364 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 41 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 Hussey 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 | #3,867 | #3,908 | -1.1% |
| Count | 9,176 | 8,812 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.11 | 2.95 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hussey bearers went from 9,176 to 8,812 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,867 to #3,908.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hussey
FAQ
Hussey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hussey?
Name Census estimates that about 10,105 living Americans carry the surname Hussey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,919 residents.
How common is Hussey?
Hussey ranks #3,908 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,812 people with the surname Hussey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hussey.
Has Hussey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hussey went from 9,176 recorded bearers to 8,812. That is a decrease of 364 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,867 to #3,908.
What does the Census say about the background of Hussey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hussey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hussey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (7,142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hussey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hussey (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 Hussey mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made hose or leggings. 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 Hussey (2.95 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 Hussey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Hussey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.