2000
#5,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Hilbert
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild, meaning "battle," and beraht, meaning "bright" or "famous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,929 Americans carry the last name Hilbert. That puts it at #6,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilbert 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 Hilbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,810
Census rank
#6,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,170 bearers of the surname Hilbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilbert
The surname Hilbert originated in Germany, with its earliest records dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Hildebrand, which is composed of the elements "hildi" meaning "battle" and "brand" meaning "sword." The name Hildebrand was widely used during the medieval period and eventually gave rise to various surnames, including Hilbert.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Hilbert surname was a knight named Hilbertus, who was mentioned in a historical document from the city of Cologne in the 12th century. Another early record comes from the village of Hilbersdorf, located in what is now the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which dates back to the 13th century. The place name Hilbersdorf likely originated from a person named Hilbert or a variation thereof.
In the 14th century, the Hilbert surname appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, indicating its widespread use. One notable figure from this period was Johannes Hilbert, a scholar and theologian born in the city of Erfurt around 1350, who became a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time.
During the Renaissance period, the Hilbert surname continued to be found in various parts of Germany. One notable individual was Leonhard Hilbert, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1516. His works, which included portraits and religious scenes, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Hilbert surname gained further prominence with the birth of David Hilbert (1862-1943), one of the most influential mathematicians of the modern era. Hilbert made groundbreaking contributions to various fields of mathematics, including geometry, algebra, and logic. He is particularly renowned for his work on the foundations of mathematics and his famous list of 23 unsolved problems, which helped shape the course of mathematical research for decades.
Other notable individuals bearing the Hilbert surname include Otto Hilbert (1896-1965), a German-American mathematician known for his contributions to algebraic number theory and functional analysis, and Jörg Hilbert (born 1948), a German chess grandmaster and author of several books on chess theory and strategy.
The Hilbert surname has a rich history rooted in the medieval period and has been associated with notable figures across various fields, from scholars and theologians to artists and mathematicians. Its origins can be traced back to the Germanic personal name Hildebrand, reflecting its long-standing presence in German culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilbert 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 Hilbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 4,543
- Black or African American4.8% · 248
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 205
- Two or more races2.4% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilbert
Hilbert 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
#5,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,077
+427 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#6,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,170
-907 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,635 | 5,650 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,707 | 6,077 | 2.06 | +427 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #6,323 | 5,170 | 1.73 | -907 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 616 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 Hilbert 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 | #5,707 | #6,323 | -10.8% |
| Count | 6,077 | 5,170 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.73 | -16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilbert bearers went from 6,077 to 5,170 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 616 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,707 to #6,323.
FAQ
Hilbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilbert?
Name Census estimates that about 5,929 living Americans carry the surname Hilbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,810 residents.
How common is Hilbert?
Hilbert ranks #6,323 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 5,170 people with the surname Hilbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,929), 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 Hilbert.
Has Hilbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilbert went from 6,077 recorded bearers to 5,170. That is a decrease of 907 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,707 to #6,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Hilbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (4,543 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (4.8%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Hilbert (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 Hilbert mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild, meaning "battle," and beraht, meaning "bright" or "famous." 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 Hilbert (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 share the surname Hilbert?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.