Find out how popular the last name Hall is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hall.

Hall, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hall in America

Hall is the 45th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hall surname appeared 407,076 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 138 people would have the surname Hall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hall to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hall

The surname Hall has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "hall," which referred to a large dwelling or manor house, often the residence of a wealthy landowner or nobleman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hall can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

The Hall surname is closely associated with various place names across England, particularly in areas where large manorial halls were located. For example, the town of Hallaton in Leicestershire is believed to be named after a prominent hall or manor that existed there.

In the 13th century, records show a Robert de la Halle, a landowner from Lincolnshire, whose name reflects the French spelling variation common during the Norman influence in England. Other early spellings include Halle, Haull, and Haulle.

Notable historical figures bearing the Hall surname include Edmund Hall (1515-1566), an English Catholic priest and martyr executed during the Protestant Reformation, and Joseph Hall (1574-1656), an English bishop and satirist known for his works on meditations and contemplations.

Sir Benjamin Hall (1802-1868) was a British politician and industrialist who served as the first Baron Llanover. He played a significant role in the development of the coal and iron industries in South Wales.

Charles Martin Hall (1863-1914), an American inventor and chemist, is credited with developing an inexpensive method for producing aluminum, which revolutionized the metal industry in the late 19th century.

Radclyffe Hall (1880-1943), born Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall, was a British novelist and poet best known for her semi-autobiographical novel "The Well of Loneliness," which dealt with the theme of lesbian love and faced censorship upon its publication.

These examples illustrate the widespread use and historical significance of the Hall surname, which has its roots in the medieval English landscape and has been borne by notable figures across various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hall

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hall.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hall was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hall has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hall was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hall, please contact us.

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