2000
#25,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 932
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Hickenbottom
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a valley or hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,078 Americans carry the last name Hickenbottom. That puts it at #27,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 317,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hickenbottom 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 Hickenbottom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 317,954
Census rank
#27,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
940
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 940 bearers of the surname Hickenbottom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickenbottom, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hickenbottom
The surname Hickenbottom is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from a place called Hickenbottom, which is thought to have been located in Lancashire or Yorkshire. The name is made up of two Old English words: "hicce," meaning a hickory tree, and "botm," meaning a valley or low-lying area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hickenbottom can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1275, where a person named Johannes de Hykenbotham is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1545, where a William Hykenbotham is listed. Around the same time, a Thomas Hickenbottom is recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1546.
During the 17th century, the name underwent some spelling variations, including Hickinbottom, Hickenbotham, and Hickenbutham. One notable individual from this period was John Hickenbottom (1619-1686), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, the name continued to be prominent in the northern counties of England. A significant figure was William Hickenbottom (1736-1809), a landowner and farmer from Yorkshire who played a role in the enclosure of common lands in his area.
Moving into the 19th century, the Hickenbottom family had spread to other parts of England and even emigrated to other countries. Notable individuals included George Hickenbottom (1819-1893), a successful businessman and entrepreneur in Lancashire, and Samuel Hickenbottom (1846-1912), a prominent academic and headmaster of a grammar school in Yorkshire.
Throughout its history, the surname Hickenbottom has been closely associated with the northern counties of England, particularly Lancashire and Yorkshire, where it originated and was most prevalent. While not a common name, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, landowners, businessmen, and educators.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hickenbottom
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickenbottom, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hickenbottom 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 Hickenbottom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 623
- Black or African American24.8% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 40
- Two or more races3.6% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hickenbottom
Hickenbottom 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
#24,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,024
+92 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 560 places
2020
#27,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 940
-84 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 2,748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,006 | 932 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,446 | 1,024 | 0.35 | +92 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 560 places |
| 2020 | #27,194 | 940 | 0.31 | -84 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 2,748 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 Hickenbottom 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 | #24,446 | #27,194 | -11.2% |
| Count | 1,024 | 940 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.31 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hickenbottom bearers went from 1,024 to 940 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 2,748 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,446 to #27,194.
FAQ
Hickenbottom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hickenbottom?
Name Census estimates that about 1,078 living Americans carry the surname Hickenbottom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 317,954 residents.
How common is Hickenbottom?
Hickenbottom ranks #27,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 940 people with the surname Hickenbottom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Hickenbottom.
Has Hickenbottom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hickenbottom went from 1,024 recorded bearers to 940. That is a decrease of 84 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,446 to #27,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Hickenbottom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickenbottom, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Hickenbottom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hickenbottom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Black (24.8%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Hickenbottom (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 Hickenbottom mean?
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a valley or hollow. 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 Hickenbottom (0.31 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 Hickenbottom?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Hickenbottom at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.