2000
#563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,026
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.03
Uncommon Last name
Houston
A Scottish habitational surname referring to a place name meaning "Hugh's town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 63,228 Americans carry the last name Houston. That puts it at #594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houston 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 Houston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
63K
1 in 5,421
Census rank
#594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
55K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 55,138 bearers of the surname Houston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houston, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houston
The surname HOUSTON has its origins in Scotland, where it emerged in the 12th century as a territorial name. It is derived from the Old English words "hus" meaning house and "tun" meaning town or settlement, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a large or important house in a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname HOUSTON was Nevinus de Houstoune, who was mentioned in a charter granted by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1189. This charter related to lands near the village of Houston in Renfrewshire, suggesting that Nevinus may have been a landowner or prominent figure in that area.
The HOUSTON name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Among those listed were Johannes de Hustone and Reginaldus de Huston, further evidence of the name's early presence in Scotland.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the HOUSTON surname was Sir Reginald de Houstone, who was recorded as attending the Parliament of King David II in 1366. He was likely a descendant of the earlier Reginaldus de Huston mentioned in the Ragman Rolls.
Another historical figure with the HOUSTON surname was Sir John Houston, who was born around 1460 and served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James IV of Scotland in the late 15th century. He was instrumental in negotiating the marriage of King James IV to Princess Margaret Tudor of England in 1503.
In the 17th century, Samuel Houston (1609-1662) was a notable Presbyterian minister and scholar from Scotland who played a significant role in the development of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He was also a respected author and published several theological works during his lifetime.
The HOUSTON surname has also been associated with the town of Houston in Renfrewshire, Scotland, which likely derived its name from the surname itself. This town was mentioned in records as early as the 12th century and has been a notable center for the HOUSTON family over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houston
Among Census respondents with the surname Houston, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Houston 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 Houston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.5% · 27,268
- Black or African American40.5% · 22,313
- Two or more races5.3% · 2,903
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 2,018
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 329
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 307
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houston
Houston 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
#592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,900
+2,874 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 19.29
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,138
-1,762 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 18.45
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #563 | 54,026 | 20.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #592 | 56,900 | 19.29 | +2,874 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #594 | 55,138 | 18.45 | -1,762 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 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 Houston 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 | #592 | #594 | -0.3% |
| Count | 56,900 | 55,138 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 19.29 | 18.45 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houston bearers went from 56,900 to 55,138 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #592 to #594.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Houston
FAQ
Houston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houston?
Name Census estimates that about 63,228 living Americans carry the surname Houston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,421 residents.
How common is Houston?
Houston ranks #594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 55,138 people with the surname Houston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (63,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Houston.
Has Houston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houston went from 56,900 recorded bearers to 55,138. That is a decrease of 1,762 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #592 to #594.
What does the Census say about the background of Houston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houston, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Houston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (27,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.5%), Black (40.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Houston (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 Houston mean?
A Scottish habitational surname referring to a place name meaning "Hugh's town." 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 Houston (18.45 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 share the surname Houston?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.