2000
#776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.00
Uncommon Last name
House
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a house or managed a household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,049 Americans carry the last name House. That puts it at #842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the House 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 House with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
46K
1 in 7,443
Census rank
#842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
40K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,157 bearers of the surname House in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname House, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of House
The surname House is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is thought to have derived from the Old English word "hus," meaning a dwelling or place of residence. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late 11th or early 12th century, initially referring to someone who lived in a prominent house or was responsible for maintaining a household.
Records show that the name House appeared in various medieval documents, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Huse." This early spelling variation reflects the evolving nature of surnames during that period, as they gradually became hereditary and more standardized over time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname House was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where a certain Richard de la House was mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use as a hereditary surname by the late 12th century.
During the medieval period, the House surname was also associated with various place names, such as Housham in Yorkshire and Housesteads in Northumberland. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "hus," indicating that the surname originated as a locational name, referring to someone who hailed from a particular house or settlement.
Notable historical figures who bore the surname House include John House (c. 1500-1554), an English poet and translator during the reign of Henry VIII, and Sir Michael House (c. 1570-1628), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Gloucestershire.
Another prominent bearer of the House surname was Thomas House (1659-1744), an English Anglican clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Killaloe and Kilfenora in Ireland. He was known for his work on church history and controversial writings on religious matters.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the House surname was that of Joseph House (c. 1620-1699), an English Puritan who settled in Massachusetts and served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
During the American Revolution, Edward House (1744-1827) was a notable figure who served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Monmouth.
The House surname has been carried by many other notable individuals throughout history, reflecting its widespread presence and enduring legacy across various cultures and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for House
Among Census respondents with the surname House, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how House 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 House surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 28,816
- Black or African American17.9% · 7,187
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,923
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,366
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 549
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 316
Timeline
Historical Census data for House
House 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
#844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,000
+523 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 13.90
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,157
-843 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 13.44
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #776 | 40,477 | 15.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #844 | 41,000 | 13.90 | +523 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #842 | 40,157 | 13.44 | -843 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 2 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 House 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 | #844 | #842 | 0.2% |
| Count | 41,000 | 40,157 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 13.90 | 13.44 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of House bearers went from 41,000 to 40,157 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #844 to #842.
FAQ
House surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname House?
Name Census estimates that about 46,049 living Americans carry the surname House. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,443 residents.
How common is House?
House ranks #842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,157 people with the surname House. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname House.
Has House become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname House went from 41,000 recorded bearers to 40,157. That is a decrease of 843 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #844 to #842.
What does the Census say about the background of House?
Among Census respondents with the surname House, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) 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 House in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (28,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
House appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (17.9%), 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 House (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 House mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a house or managed a household. 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 House (13.44 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 surname House?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.