Find out how popular the last name Hight is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hight.

Hight, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hight in America

Hight is the 6094th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hight surname appeared 5,629 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hight to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hight

The surname HIGHT is of English origin, derived from an Old English word "hihð" or "hihþ," which means "height" or "elevated place." This surname is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, and was initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a hill or an elevated area.

The surname HIGHT can be found in various historical records and documents from England, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Hihð" or "de la Hihþ." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HIGHT dates back to the 13th century, when a man named John atte Hihþ was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1275. This spelling variation, "atte Hihþ," implies that John lived near a place called "Hihþ" or "Height."

In the 14th century, the surname HIGHT was also recorded in various locations across England, such as Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire. For example, a man named Robert Hight was listed in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.

Notable individuals with the surname HIGHT throughout history include:

1. John Hight (c. 1550-1612), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of St. Peter's Church in Oxford.
2. Samuel Hight (1762-1832), an American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner in Kentucky.
3. Sir Nathaniel Hight (1806-1879), a British politician and Member of Parliament for East Gloucestershire from 1857 to 1865.
4. Elizabeth Hight (1822-1891), an English novelist and poet, best known for her novel "The Heir of Redclyffe," published in 1853.
5. George Hight (1835-1919), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Hight & Fairfield Coal Company in Ohio.

The surname HIGHT has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Hight Town in Oxfordshire and Hight Rigg in Northumberland, further emphasizing its topographic origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hight

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hight.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hight was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hight has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hight was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hight, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!