Hyson
Of English origin, meaning "son of Hugh" or "son of Huguenot".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Hyson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hyson today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hyson births was 2000 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hyson. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hyson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2000
5 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2000 SSA rank
#11,033
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Hyson: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hyson 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 Hyson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hyson
The given name Hyson has its origins in the ancient Germanic language of Old English, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old English word "hyse," which means "noble" or "distinguished." The name was particularly popular among the Anglo-Saxon tribes that settled in what is now England after the fall of the Roman Empire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hyson can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record compiled in the late 9th century. The chronicle mentions a nobleman named Hyson who played a prominent role in the battles against the Danish invaders during the reign of King Alfred the Great (849-899).
In the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity among the English nobility. One notable figure was Sir Hyson de Montfort (1233-1265), a leading member of the baronial opposition against King Henry III during the Second Barons' War. He was killed at the Battle of Evesham while fighting alongside Simon de Montfort, the leader of the rebellion.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hyson was occasionally used in literary works. In William Shakespeare's play "King Lear," one of the minor characters is a gentleman named Hyson who serves in the household of the Earl of Gloucester.
In the 17th century, Hyson Weston (1602-1677) was a prominent English entrepreneur and merchant who made his fortune in the East India trade. He was also a philanthropist and donated generously to educational institutions in his hometown of Bristol.
Another noteworthy figure was Hyson Cromwell (1657-1718), a distant relative of Oliver Cromwell and a respected military officer who served in the campaigns of the Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 19th century, Hyson Bronte (1816-1855) was a British novelist and poet, best known for his semi-autobiographical novel "The Professor," which was published posthumously. Despite being overshadowed by his more famous sisters, Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Hyson's work is considered a significant contribution to English literature.
People
Hyson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hyson 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
Hyson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hyson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hyson 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Hyson a common name?
We classify Hyson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hyson most popular?
The single biggest year for Hyson was 2000, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hyson is about 26 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 Hyson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hyson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hyson 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 Hyson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hyson 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 Hyson 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 Hyson?
See how many people share the name Hyson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.