matplotlib · tacaswell · Nov 18, 2015 · Nov 17, 2015
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py
@@ -5684,7 +5684,7 @@ def table(self, **kwargs):

    @unpack_labeled_data(replace_names=["x", 'weights'], label_namer="x")
    @docstring.dedent_interpd
-    def hist(self, x, bins=10, range=None, normed=False, weights=None,
+    def hist(self, x, bins=None, range=None, normed=False, weights=None,
             cumulative=False, bottom=None, histtype='bar', align='mid',
             orientation='vertical', rwidth=None, log=False,
             color=None, label=None, stacked=False,
@@ -5710,14 +5710,16 @@ def hist(self, x, bins=10, range=None, normed=False, weights=None,
            Input values, this takes either a single array or a sequency of
            arrays which are not required to be of the same length

-        bins : integer or array_like, optional
+        bins : integer or array_like or 'auto', optional
            If an integer is given, `bins + 1` bin edges are returned,
            consistently with :func:`numpy.histogram` for numpy version >=
            1.3.

            Unequally spaced bins are supported if `bins` is a sequence.

-            default is 10
+            If Numpy 1.11 is installed, may also be ``'auto'``.
+
+            Default is taken from the rcParam ``hist.bins``.

        range : tuple or None, optional
            The lower and upper range of the bins. Lower and upper outliers
@@ -5879,6 +5881,9 @@ def hist(self, x, bins=10, range=None, normed=False, weights=None,
        if np.isscalar(x):
            x = [x]

+        if bins is None:
+            bins = rcParams['hist.bins']
+
        # xrange becomes range after 2to3
        bin_range = range
        range = __builtins__["range"]

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/rcsetup.py b/lib/matplotlib/rcsetup.py
@@ -813,6 +813,9 @@ def validate_cycler(s):
    'patch.facecolor':   ['b', validate_color],  # blue
    'patch.antialiased': [True, validate_bool],  # antialiased (no jaggies)

+    ## Histogram properties
+    'hist.bins': [10, validate_any],
+
    ## Boxplot properties
    'boxplot.notch': [False, validate_bool],
    'boxplot.vertical': [True, validate_bool],

diff --git a/matplotlibrc.template b/matplotlibrc.template
@@ -376,6 +376,11 @@ backend      : %(backend)s
 ### ERRORBAR PLOTS
 #errorbar.capsize : 3             # length of end cap on error bars in pixels

+### HISTOGRAM PLOTS
+#hist.bins : 10                   # The default number of histogram bins.
+                                  # If Numpy 1.11 or later is
+                                  # installed, may also be `auto`
+
 ### Agg rendering
 ### Warning: experimental, 2008/10/10
 #agg.path.chunksize : 0           # 0 to disable; values in the range