2000
#50,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Hibben
A surname likely derived from a place name in England or Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 452 Americans carry the last name Hibben. That puts it at #56,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 758,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hibben 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 Hibben with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
452
1 in 758,306
Census rank
#56,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
394
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 394 bearers of the surname Hibben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibben, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hibben
The surname Hibben is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Northumberland and Yorkshire, during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hib" or "hibbe," which referred to a hill or a hilly area. This suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, given to individuals who resided near or on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hibben can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Hibben." In the Hundred Rolls of Northumberland, compiled in the 13th century, the name is listed as "Hybbyn," further indicating its regional origins.
The Hibben surname has also been linked to several place names in northern England, such as Hibbin, a small hamlet in the North Yorkshire Moors, and Hibburn, a village near Hexham in Northumberland. These place names likely originated from the same Old English root words as the surname itself.
In the 14th century, records show a Robert Hibben who was a landowner in the village of Warkworth, Northumberland. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Hibben, a merchant who lived in York in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the British Empire expanded and colonization efforts increased, many individuals with the surname Hibben migrated to other parts of the world, including North America and the Caribbean. One such individual was John Hibben, an English colonist who settled in Barbados in the mid-17th century.
In the late 18th century, a prominent figure named James Hibben was born in Scotland. He later became a respected minister and educator in the United States, serving as the president of Princeton University from 1845 to 1854.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Hibben surname was Samuel Hibben, a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
In the 19th century, Charles Godfrey Hibben, born in 1838 in New Jersey, gained recognition as a renowned lawyer and judge, serving as a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1891 to 1911.
While the surname Hibben is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its roots in the rugged landscapes of northern England, where it likely originated as a locational name for those residing near or on a hill.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hibben
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibben, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hibben 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 Hibben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 353
- Two or more races5.1% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hibben
Hibben 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
#52,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 391
+4 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,284 places
2020
#56,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 394
+3 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,686 | 387 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,970 | 391 | 0.13 | +4 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 2,284 places |
| 2020 | #56,084 | 394 | 0.13 | +3 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 3,114 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 Hibben 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 | #52,970 | #56,084 | -5.9% |
| Count | 391 | 394 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hibben bearers went from 391 to 394 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,114 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,970 to #56,084.
FAQ
Hibben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hibben?
Name Census estimates that about 452 living Americans carry the surname Hibben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 758,306 residents.
How common is Hibben?
Hibben ranks #56,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 394 people with the surname Hibben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hibben.
Has Hibben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hibben went from 391 recorded bearers to 394. That is an increase of 3 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,970 to #56,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Hibben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibben, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hibben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (353 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hibben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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 Hibben (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 Hibben mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name in England or Scotland. 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 Hibben (0.13 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 share the surname Hibben?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.