Hurston
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from an English place name.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Hurston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hurston today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hurston births was 1918 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hurston. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Hurston is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hurstons were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hurston. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1918
7 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,945
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Hurston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hurston from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Hurston remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hurston 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 Hurston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hurston
The given name Hurston is believed to have originated in the English language, derived from the Old English words "hurst" and "tun," which collectively refer to a settlement or village located near a wooded area or forest. This name is thought to have first emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, spanning from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
While the name Hurston itself does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its component words "hurst" and "tun" were commonly used in place names throughout medieval England. These place names often indicated the geographical features and settlements where various communities were established.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hurston can be traced back to the 13th century, when a person named Hurston de Hurst was mentioned in historical records from the county of Wiltshire, England. However, it is difficult to ascertain whether this was a given name or a surname at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the given name Hurston. One prominent figure was Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), an influential African American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker during the Harlem Renaissance. Her literary works, including the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," have become seminal texts in American literature.
Another individual with the name Hurston was Hurston Lahr (1946-2021), an American actor and director known for his work in theatre and television. He received critical acclaim for his performances in various Broadway productions and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
In the field of sports, Hurston Wagner (1925-2000) was an American baseball player who played as an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Despite a relatively brief professional career, he made a lasting impact as a respected athlete.
Hurston Clopton (1904-1986) was an American architect who designed several notable buildings in the Southeastern United States, including the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lastly, Hurston Bayliss (1919-1997) was a British author and poet who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of nature, rural life, and the English countryside. His poetry collections, such as "The Shepherd's House," were highly regarded and celebrated by literary critics.
People
Hurston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hurston 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
Hurston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hurston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hurston 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Hurston a common name?
We classify Hurston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 47 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hurston most popular?
The single biggest year for Hurston was 1918, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hurston is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Hurston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hurston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hurston 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 Hurston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hurston 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 Hurston 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Hurston?
Want to know how many people share the name Hurston? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.