2000
#5,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,499
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Hibbs
Derived from a pet form of the medieval English name "Isabel" or from a place name meaning "Hibba's farm."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,089 Americans carry the last name Hibbs. That puts it at #6,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hibbs 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 Hibbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,291
Census rank
#6,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,310 bearers of the surname Hibbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hibbs
The surname Hibbs originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hib" or "hibb", meaning a seed or berry. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a berry patch or grew berries. Early variations of the spelling include Hybb, Hibbe, and Hibbes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194, which mention a Richard Hib. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also contain several references to individuals with the surname Hibbs or similar spellings, such as William Hibbe and Adam Hibbes. These records indicate that the name was prevalent in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas during the 13th century.
The Hibbs surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the specific individuals mentioned in the Domesday Book with this surname are not clearly documented.
In the 16th century, the name Hibbs began to appear in parish records and other historical documents across various regions of England, suggesting its spread beyond Yorkshire. One notable individual from this period was John Hibbs, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1524 to 1598.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several individuals with the Hibbs surname made their mark in various fields. Robert Hibbs (1619-1684) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Clare College, Cambridge. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Hibbs (1677-1721), a Quaker writer and preacher from Pennsylvania, who was one of the earliest published female authors in the American colonies.
In the 19th century, the Hibbs surname gained prominence in both England and the United States. William Hibbs (1801-1878) was an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes. Meanwhile, in the United States, Henry Hibbs (1807-1886) was a successful businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky.
Other individuals with the Hibbs surname who left their mark on history include George Hibbs (1876-1945), a Canadian professional ice hockey player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and Gerry Hibbs (1909-1964), an American baseball player and coach who spent several seasons in Major League Baseball.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hibbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hibbs 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 Hibbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 4,779
- Two or more races3.9% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 199
- Black or African American1.3% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hibbs
Hibbs 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
#6,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,585
+86 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#6,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,310
-275 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,767 | 5,499 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,134 | 5,585 | 1.89 | +86 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #6,183 | 5,310 | 1.78 | -275 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 49 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 Hibbs 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 | #6,134 | #6,183 | -0.8% |
| Count | 5,585 | 5,310 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 1.78 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hibbs bearers went from 5,585 to 5,310 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,134 to #6,183.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hibbs
FAQ
Hibbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hibbs?
Name Census estimates that about 6,089 living Americans carry the surname Hibbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,291 residents.
How common is Hibbs?
Hibbs ranks #6,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,310 people with the surname Hibbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Hibbs.
Has Hibbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hibbs went from 5,585 recorded bearers to 5,310. That is a decrease of 275 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,134 to #6,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Hibbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hibbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hibbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (4,779 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hibbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hibbs (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 Hibbs mean?
Derived from a pet form of the medieval English name "Isabel" or from a place name meaning "Hibba's farm." 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 Hibbs (1.78 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 Americans have the surname Hibbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.