2000
#5,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Hickson
Son of Hick, a diminutive of Richard, or someone living near a hick, a small gate or wicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,934 Americans carry the last name Hickson. That puts it at #6,314 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hickson 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 Hickson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,761
Census rank
#6,314
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,175 bearers of the surname Hickson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6314th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.5%. The next largest groups are Black (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hickson
The surname Hickson is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name "Hicca," which itself comes from the word "hicce," meaning a small farm or hamlet. The addition of the suffix "-son" indicates that the name was initially used to denote the son of someone named Hicca.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hickson can be found in historical records from various parts of northern England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is likely that the name was initially concentrated in these regions due to the prevalence of small agricultural settlements and the common practice of adopting surnames based on occupations or geographical features.
One notable early reference to the name Hickson can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, where a Robert Hykson is listed as a taxpayer in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Additionally, the Holderness Survey of 1592 records a John Hickson as a landowner in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name have emerged, including Hixon, Hicksone, and Hicson. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of historical record-keeping.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname Hickson throughout history are:
1. William Hickson (1803-1870), an English social reformer and pioneer of the cooperative movement.
2. Sydney Hickson (1859-1940), a British zoologist and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Aberdeen.
3. Mary Hickson (1891-1984), a British architect and one of the first women to be admitted to the Royal Institute of British Architects.
4. Joseph Hickson (1830-1897), a Canadian businessman and railway executive who served as the president of the Grand Trunk Railway.
5. Thomas Hickson (1808-1889), an English industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Hickson and Farmer chemical company in Lancashire.
The surname Hickson has a rich historical lineage, with its origins rooted in the agricultural settlements of medieval England. While the name may have evolved in spelling and spread across various regions, it continues to carry the legacy of its humble beginnings as a patronymic surname denoting the son of Hicca.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hickson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.5%. The next largest groups are Black (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hickson 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 Hickson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.5% · 2,404
- Black or African American44.5% · 2,305
- Two or more races4.8% · 250
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 160
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hickson
Hickson 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
#6,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,610
+265 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#6,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,175
-435 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,929 | 5,345 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,111 | 5,610 | 1.90 | +265 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #6,314 | 5,175 | 1.73 | -435 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 203 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 Hickson 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 | #6,111 | #6,314 | -3.3% |
| Count | 5,610 | 5,175 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.73 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hickson bearers went from 5,610 to 5,175 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,111 to #6,314.
FAQ
Hickson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hickson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,934 living Americans carry the surname Hickson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,761 residents.
How common is Hickson?
Hickson ranks #6,314 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 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 5,175 people with the surname Hickson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,934), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 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 Hickson.
Has Hickson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hickson went from 5,610 recorded bearers to 5,175. That is a decrease of 435 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,111 to #6,314.
What does the Census say about the background of Hickson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.5%. The next largest groups are Black (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hickson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.5% (2,404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hickson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.5%), Black (44.5%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hickson (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 Hickson mean?
Son of Hick, a diminutive of Richard, or someone living near a hick, a small gate or wicket. 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 Hickson (1.73 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 are called Hickson?
You can see how common the surname Hickson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.