2000
#8,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,603
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Hathcock
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hats or caps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,997 Americans carry the last name Hathcock. That puts it at #9,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hathcock surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,753
Census rank
#9,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,486 bearers of the surname Hathcock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hathcock
The surname Hathcock has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hæth" meaning heather and "cocc" meaning a heap or small hill, thus referring to someone who lived near a heather-covered mound or hillock.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273, where it appears as "Hathekoc". This suggests that the name was already established in the region during that time period.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1275, a record of landholders in England, the name is listed as "Hathekoc" in the county of Oxfordshire. This provides further evidence of the name's presence in different parts of the country in the medieval era.
During the 14th century, variations of the spelling emerged, such as "Hathcok" and "Hathcoke". These alternative spellings can be found in various historical documents from that period.
One notable individual with the surname Hathcock was John Hathcock, who was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1501. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to reside in the area for several generations.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Hathcock (1568-1634), a member of the English gentry from Derbyshire. He served as a justice of the peace and was known for his involvement in local affairs.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, indicating that some Hathcocks had emigrated from England to the New World during that time.
One such individual was Robert Hathcock, who was born in England in 1625 and settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1640s. He was a farmer and played a role in the early establishment of the colony.
During the 18th century, the Hathcock name continued to be present in various parts of England, with notable individuals including Edward Hathcock (1712-1789), a successful businessman from Yorkshire, and Reverend Thomas Hathcock (1743-1819), a clergyman from Gloucestershire.
As the centuries progressed, the Hathcock surname spread to different regions of the world, carried by descendants of those early English families. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, reflecting its origins as a locational surname derived from the Old English language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hathcock
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hathcock bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hathcock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 3,154
- Two or more races3.5% · 121
- Black or African American2.4% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hathcock
Hathcock appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,726
+123 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#9,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,486
-240 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,424 | 3,603 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,793 | 3,726 | 1.26 | +123 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #9,008 | 3,486 | 1.17 | -240 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 215 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hathcock surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,793 | #9,008 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,726 | 3,486 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.17 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hathcock bearers went from 3,726 to 3,486 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,793 to #9,008.
FAQ
Hathcock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hathcock?
Name Census estimates that about 3,997 living Americans carry the surname Hathcock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,753 residents.
How common is Hathcock?
Hathcock ranks #9,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,486 people with the surname Hathcock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hathcock.
Has Hathcock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hathcock went from 3,726 recorded bearers to 3,486. That is a decrease of 240 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,793 to #9,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Hathcock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hathcock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hathcock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hathcock (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hathcock mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hats or caps. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hathcock (1.17 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Hathcock?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Hathcock at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.