2000
#3,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.66
Uncommon Last name
Huey
Derived from the Germanic given name Hugo, meaning "mind" or "intellect."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,721 Americans carry the last name Huey. That puts it at #3,693 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huey 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 Huey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,970
Census rank
#3,693
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,349 bearers of the surname Huey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3693rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huey, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huey
The surname Huey originated in France and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French personal name Huon, which itself comes from the Germanic name Hugo or Hugo. This Germanic name is thought to have meant "bright in mind and spirit" or "heart, mind, soul."
Variations of the surname Huey in early records include Huie, Huy, Heuwy, and Huwi. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Huui. This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of much of England and parts of Wales.
In the 13th century, a Robert Huey is mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1221. These rolls were essentially plea rolls that recorded legal proceedings from the royal court. A few centuries later, a William Huey is recorded as a resident of Yorkshire in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1672.
The surname Huey has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. John Huey (1667-1712) was a Scottish Episcopal Church minister and theologian. Penrose Huey (1766-1838) was an Irish-born merchant and banker who settled in Pennsylvania. He served as a director of the Bank of North America.
Robert Emmett Huey (1879-1953) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New Mexico. Walter Newberry Huey (1888-1971) was a U.S. Army Air Service officer and early aviator who participated in several pioneering flights. Finally, Walter Randolph Huey (1924-2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of Norfolk, Virginia from 1974 to 1976.
The surname Huey has its roots in the Old French and Germanic languages, tracing back to the late 12th century in France. It has appeared in various historical records over the centuries, with several notable bearers contributing to fields like religion, business, politics, and aviation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huey
Among Census respondents with the surname Huey, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Huey 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 Huey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.9% · 6,348
- Black or African American13.4% · 1,256
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.8% · 1,007
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 368
- Two or more races3.6% · 339
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huey
Huey 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
#3,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,800
-81 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#3,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,349
-451 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,318 | 9,881 | 3.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,625 | 9,800 | 3.32 | -81 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #3,693 | 9,349 | 3.13 | -451 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 68 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 Huey 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 | #3,625 | #3,693 | -1.9% |
| Count | 9,800 | 9,349 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.32 | 3.13 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huey bearers went from 9,800 to 9,349 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,625 to #3,693.
FAQ
Huey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huey?
Name Census estimates that about 10,721 living Americans carry the surname Huey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,970 residents.
How common is Huey?
Huey ranks #3,693 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.13 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 9,349 people with the surname Huey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.13 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 Huey.
Has Huey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huey went from 9,800 recorded bearers to 9,349. That is a decrease of 451 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,625 to #3,693.
What does the Census say about the background of Huey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huey, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.8%). 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 Huey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.9% (6,348 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.9%), Black (13.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.8%). 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 Huey (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 Huey mean?
Derived from the Germanic given name Hugo, meaning "mind" or "intellect." 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 Huey (3.13 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 Huey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Huey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.