Hideo
A masculine Japanese name meaning "excellent or admirable man".
Name Census estimates that about 44 living Americans carry the first name Hideo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hideo today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hideo births was 1925 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hideo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hideo with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Hideo is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hideos were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hideo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
44
~ 1 in 7,789,871 Americans
Peak year
1925
62 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,269
Tracked since 1910
Census
Hideo in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 473 people with the first name Hideo, which placed it at #21,475 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,475
National first-name rank
People counted
473
473 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
89.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hideo
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hideo is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hideo 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hideo at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.2% · 422
- Two or more races5.5% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 13
- Black or African American1.7% · 8
- White0.8% · 4
Popularity
Hideo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hideo from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 426 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hideo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hideo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hideos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Hawaii, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Hideo, while Washington, California, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 224 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hideo
The name Hideo is derived from the Japanese language and has its origins dating back to the 8th century. It is a combination of two distinct words – "hi" meaning "excellent" or "admirable," and "o" which can signify various meanings such as "man," "great," or "hero." Together, the name Hideo carries connotations of an admirable, great, or heroic individual.
During the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan, the name Hideo was often associated with members of the imperial court and samurai warriors. It was considered a powerful and respectable name, reflecting the virtues and ideals upheld by the ruling class of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hideo can be found in the historical text "Nihon Shoki" (The Chronicles of Japan), which dates back to the 8th century. This ancient text mentions a prince named Hideo, who was a member of the imperial family during the reign of Emperor Monmu (683-707 CE).
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Hideo. One of the most famous was Hideo Noguchi (1876-1928), a Japanese bacteriologist who made significant contributions to the study of syphilis and yellow fever. His groundbreaking research and discoveries earned him international acclaim and recognition.
Another prominent figure was Hideo Kodama (1911-1984), a Japanese politician and businessman who played a crucial role in the economic and political landscape of post-World War II Japan. He was instrumental in establishing the Liberal Democratic Party, which has been the dominant political force in Japan for decades.
In the realm of literature, Hideo Furukawa (1964-present) is a celebrated Japanese author known for his novels exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. His works, such as "Belka, Why Don't You Bark?" and "Horses, Horses, in the End the Horses," have garnered critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
The world of martial arts also boasts a notable figure named Hideo Ohno (1936-2022), a Japanese karate master and founder of the Kyokushin Karate style. His disciplined approach and dedication to the art of karate earned him respect and admiration both in Japan and internationally.
Lastly, Hideo Nakata (1961-present) is a renowned Japanese film director best known for his groundbreaking horror movies, including the iconic "Ring" series. His works have significantly influenced the genre of J-horror (Japanese horror) and have gained a cult following worldwide.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hideo
People
Hideo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hideo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hideo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hideo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 44 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hideo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,789,871 US residents.
Is Hideo a common name?
We classify Hideo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 805 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hideo most popular?
The single biggest year for Hideo was 1925, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hideo is about 94 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hideo in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 473 people with the name Hideo, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,475 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hideo in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hideo?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hideo appears almost entirely male. Of the 472 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hideo?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hideo is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hideo most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Hideo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (422 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hideo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hideo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hideo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hideo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hideo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hideo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Hideo?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Hideo, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.