2000
#13,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Honda
A Japanese surname meaning "root rice field," referring to the founder's occupation as a farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,115 Americans carry the last name Honda. That puts it at #15,324 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Honda 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
2.1K
1 in 162,059
Census rank
#15,324
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,844 bearers of the surname Honda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15324th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Honda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.2%) and White (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Honda
The surname Honda is of Japanese origin, originating from the Kanto region of Japan in the 16th century. It is derived from the Japanese word "honden," which refers to the main hall or sanctuary of a Shinto shrine. The name was likely adopted by families who lived near or had connections to a particular shrine.
Honda first appeared in historical records during the Edo period (1603-1867), when family names became more commonly used in Japan. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Shogunate's official records from the late 17th century, documenting a Honda family residing in the town of Odawara, located in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture.
In the early 19th century, a prominent Honda family emerged in the village of Tenryū, in what is now Shizuoka Prefecture. This family was known for their expertise in metalworking and sword-making, a tradition that continued for several generations. Notably, Honda Toshiaki (1744-1821) was a renowned swordsmith from this lineage, whose works were highly prized by samurai and daimyo (feudal lords) of the time.
Another historically significant figure with the Honda surname was Honda Toshiaki (1744-1821), a renowned swordsmith from the village of Tenryū in Shizuoka Prefecture. His swords were highly prized by samurai and daimyo (feudal lords) of the time.
In the late 19th century, Honda Kinkichi (1851-1917) was a prominent businessman and industrialist from Shizuoka Prefecture. He founded the Honda Gofukuten, a successful textile company that exported silk and cotton products to Europe and North America.
During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Honda Naganari (1869-1944) was a respected scholar and educator who helped establish the modern Japanese education system. He served as the principal of the prestigious Peers' School in Tokyo, which educated the children of aristocratic families.
In more recent times, Honda Soichiro (1906-1991) was the founder of the multinational corporation Honda Motor Company, known for its innovative automobiles and motorcycles. Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, his entrepreneurial spirit and engineering prowess have made the Honda name internationally recognized and associated with quality and reliability.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Honda
Among Census respondents with the surname Honda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.2%) and White (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Honda 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 Honda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.1% · 1,330
- Two or more races13.2% · 243
- White8.6% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 100
- Black or African American0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Honda
Honda 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
#13,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
+95 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 460 places
2020
#15,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,844
-327 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,451 | 2,076 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,911 | 2,171 | 0.74 | +95 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 460 places |
| 2020 | #15,324 | 1,844 | 0.62 | -327 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 1,413 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 Honda 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 | #13,911 | #15,324 | -10.2% |
| Count | 2,171 | 1,844 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.62 | -16.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Honda bearers went from 2,171 to 1,844 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 1,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,911 to #15,324.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Honda
FAQ
Honda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Honda?
Name Census estimates that about 2,115 living Americans carry the surname Honda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,059 residents.
How common is Honda?
Honda ranks #15,324 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,844 people with the surname Honda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Honda.
Has Honda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Honda went from 2,171 recorded bearers to 1,844. That is a decrease of 327 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,911 to #15,324.
What does the Census say about the background of Honda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Honda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.2%) and White (8.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Honda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (1,330 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Honda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.1%), Two or More Races (13.2%), White (8.6%). 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 Honda (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 Honda mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "root rice field," referring to the founder's occupation as a farmer. 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 Honda (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Honda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.