2000
#5,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Hight
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a tall person or a dweller on a hill or height.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,046 Americans carry the last name Hight. That puts it at #6,222 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,691 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hight 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 Hight with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,691
Census rank
#6,222
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,272 bearers of the surname Hight in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6222nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hight, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hight
Among Census respondents with the surname Hight, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hight 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 Hight surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 4,356
- Black or African American7.0% · 369
- Two or more races5.0% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 181
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hight
Hight 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
#6,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,629
+89 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 362 places
2020
#6,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,272
-357 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,732 | 5,540 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,094 | 5,629 | 1.91 | +89 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 362 places |
| 2020 | #6,222 | 5,272 | 1.76 | -357 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 128 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 Hight 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 | #6,094 | #6,222 | -2.1% |
| Count | 5,629 | 5,272 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.76 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hight bearers went from 5,629 to 5,272 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,094 to #6,222.
FAQ
Hight surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hight?
Name Census estimates that about 6,046 living Americans carry the surname Hight. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,691 residents.
How common is Hight?
Hight ranks #6,222 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 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 5,272 people with the surname Hight. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 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 Hight.
Has Hight become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hight went from 5,629 recorded bearers to 5,272. That is a decrease of 357 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,094 to #6,222.
What does the Census say about the background of Hight?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hight, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Hight in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (4,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hight appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (7.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Hight (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 Hight mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a tall person or a dweller on a hill or height. 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 Hight (1.76 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 surname Hight?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.