2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hidlay
A surname possibly originating from an English place name referring to a high or elevated location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Hidlay. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hidlay 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Hidlay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hidlay, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hidlay
The surname HIDLAY is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly derived from the Old English words "hid" meaning "hide" or "skin," and "ley" meaning "field" or "clearing." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person residing or working in a field or clearing associated with the production or trade of hides.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where it is spelled "Hidelay." This ancient document is a valuable source for tracing the history of surnames in England during the Middle Ages.
In the 13th century, the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a survey of landholdings and tenants during the reign of King Edward I. The entry "John de Hydeley" from 1273 provides evidence of the name's continued presence in the region.
The surname HIDLAY has also been linked to various place names, such as Hideley or Hiddeley, which were small hamlets or townships in counties like Norfolk and Gloucestershire. These place names likely evolved from the Old English words mentioned earlier, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
Among notable individuals bearing the HIDLAY surname, one can mention:
1. Thomas Hidlay (c. 1560 - 1632), an English landowner and merchant from Gloucestershire.
2. Margaret Hidlay (1616 - 1689), a prominent figure in the Quaker community of Norfolk.
3. John Hidlay (1712 - 1786), a farmer and local official in the village of Hideley, Norfolk.
4. William Hidlay (1845 - 1923), a British explorer and naturalist who documented flora and fauna in the Australian outback.
5. Evelyn Hidlay (1892 - 1974), an English author and poet known for her works on rural life and nature.
While the HIDLAY surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its historical roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely originated from a specific geographical location and evolved over centuries to its current form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hidlay
Among Census respondents with the surname Hidlay, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hidlay 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 Hidlay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hidlay
Hidlay appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 6,133 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 Hidlay 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 | #152,628 | #146,495 | 4.0% |
| Count | 107 | 114 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hidlay bearers went from 107 to 114 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 6,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #146,495.
FAQ
Hidlay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hidlay?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Hidlay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Hidlay?
Hidlay ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Hidlay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hidlay.
Has Hidlay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hidlay went from 107 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hidlay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hidlay, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Hidlay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hidlay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Hidlay (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 Hidlay mean?
A surname possibly originating from an English place name referring to a high or elevated location. 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 Hidlay (0.04 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 common is the surname Hidlay?
Want to know how common the surname Hidlay is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.