2000
#4,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,617
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Hibbard
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a hill or high ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,547 Americans carry the last name Hibbard. That puts it at #4,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hibbard 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 Hibbard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,102
Census rank
#4,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,453 bearers of the surname Hibbard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hibbard
The surname Hibbard is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. It is derived from the Old English words "hyb" meaning a hill or ridge, and "ard" meaning a high or elevated place, essentially describing someone who lived on a hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as "Hybbard." This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the early 14th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a manor called "Hiberhid" is mentioned, which is believed to be the origin of the surname. This manor was located in the Gloucestershire area, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the region.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Hibbarde," "Hibbert," and "Hibbird." This variation in spelling was common during this period due to a lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hibbard was William Hibbard, who was born in Worcestershire, England in the late 15th century. He was a landowner and is mentioned in several local records from that time.
Another notable figure was John Hibbard, born in Gloucestershire in the early 17th century. He was a merchant and prominent member of the local community, serving as a magistrate and holding various civic positions.
In the late 17th century, a family by the name of Hibbard settled in the American colonies, with Samuel Hibbard (1647-1718) being one of the earliest recorded members to arrive in Massachusetts from England.
Thomas Hibbard (1763-1838), born in Connecticut, was a soldier and fought in the American Revolutionary War, later becoming a respected community leader in his hometown.
Lastly, William Gilman Hibbard (1819-1902), born in Massachusetts, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. hardware company and donated generously to educational institutions in his later years.
While not an exhaustive list, these individuals illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of those bearing the surname Hibbard, which can be traced back to its English origins in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hibbard
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hibbard 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 Hibbard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 6,862
- Two or more races3.5% · 259
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 209
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 46
- Black or African American0.5% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hibbard
Hibbard 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
#4,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,885
+268 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#4,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,453
-432 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,310 | 7,617 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,496 | 7,885 | 2.67 | +268 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #4,618 | 7,453 | 2.49 | -432 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 122 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 Hibbard 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 | #4,496 | #4,618 | -2.7% |
| Count | 7,885 | 7,453 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.49 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hibbard bearers went from 7,885 to 7,453 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,496 to #4,618.
FAQ
Hibbard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hibbard?
Name Census estimates that about 8,547 living Americans carry the surname Hibbard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,102 residents.
How common is Hibbard?
Hibbard ranks #4,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,453 people with the surname Hibbard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,547), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hibbard.
Has Hibbard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hibbard went from 7,885 recorded bearers to 7,453. That is a decrease of 432 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,496 to #4,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Hibbard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Hibbard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (6,862 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hibbard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Hibbard (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 Hibbard mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a hill or high ground. 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 Hibbard (2.49 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 surname Hibbard?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.