2000
#7,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Hector
An English and Scottish occupational surname for a heckler or wool comber.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,015 Americans carry the last name Hector. That puts it at #7,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,346 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hector 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hector with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,346
Census rank
#7,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,373 bearers of the surname Hector in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hector, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (11.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hector
The surname HECTOR has its origins in Ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "ἕκτωρ" (Héktōr), meaning "to hold or to guard". The name was popularized by the legendary Trojan hero Hector, who played a central role in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad, believed to have been written in the 8th century BC.
In medieval times, the name Hector was introduced to Western Europe through the works of classical authors and the Trojan legend. It gained popularity as a personal name, particularly among the nobility and upper classes who sought to emulate the heroic qualities associated with the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HECTOR can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Hector, holding lands in Lincolnshire, England.
During the Middle Ages, the name HECTOR was also found in various forms, such as Ector, Ector, and Hector, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. These variations were often associated with specific geographical locations or areas where the name was prevalent.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname HECTOR include:
1. Sir Hector de Mares (c. 1240-1301), a Scottish knight and diplomat who served under King Edward I of England.
2. Hector Boece (c. 1465-1536), a Scottish philosopher and historian who wrote the influential work "Historia Gentis Scotorum" (History of the Scottish People).
3. Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), a French Romantic composer and conductor, known for his orchestral works such as the "Symphonie Fantastique".
4. Hector Malot (1830-1907), a French writer best known for his novel "Sans Famille" (Nobody's Boy), which was widely popular in the 19th century.
5. Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916), better known by his pen name Saki, an English writer renowned for his satirical short stories.
The surname HECTOR has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history, reflecting the migration and settlement patterns of those bearing the name. For example, the village of Hector in Tompkins County, New York, was named after one of the early settlers, Hector Sexton, in the late 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hector
Among Census respondents with the surname Hector, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (11.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hector 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 Hector surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.3% · 2,110
- White34.9% · 1,526
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 506
- Two or more races4.1% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hector
Hector 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
#7,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,387
+387 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 99 places
2020
#7,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,373
-14 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,671 | 4,000 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,572 | 4,387 | 1.49 | +387 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 99 places |
| 2020 | #7,349 | 4,373 | 1.46 | -14 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 223 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 Hector 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 | #7,572 | #7,349 | 2.9% |
| Count | 4,387 | 4,373 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.46 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hector bearers went from 4,387 to 4,373 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 223 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,572 to #7,349.
FAQ
Hector surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hector?
Name Census estimates that about 5,015 living Americans carry the surname Hector. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,346 residents.
How common is Hector?
Hector ranks #7,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,373 people with the surname Hector. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,015), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Hector.
Has Hector become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hector went from 4,387 recorded bearers to 4,373. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,572 to #7,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Hector?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hector, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (11.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hector in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.3% (2,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hector appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.3%), White (34.9%), Hispanic (11.6%). 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 Hector (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 Hector mean?
An English and Scottish occupational surname for a heckler or wool comber. 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 Hector (1.46 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 have the last name Hector?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Hector, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.