2000
#7,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Hilburn
Derived from a place name meaning "hill stream" or "stream by a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,455 Americans carry the last name Hilburn. That puts it at #8,155 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilburn 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 Hilburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,937
Census rank
#8,155
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,885 bearers of the surname Hilburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8155th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilburn
The surname Hilburn is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from a combination of the Old English words "hyll" meaning hill and "burna" meaning stream or brook. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a hill and a stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Hulleburn, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. The spelling "Hulleburn" reflects the old spelling of the name before it evolved into its modern form.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings such as Hilburn, Hilborne, and Hilburn. For example, a William Hilbourne was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire in 1327.
The Hilburn surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire, where many early records of the name can be found. This suggests that the name may have originated in one of these areas.
One notable bearer of the Hilburn name was Sir Robert Hilburn, who lived in the 15th century and served as a member of parliament for Staffordshire. Another was John Hilburn, a 16th-century English printer and bookseller who is known for publishing works by notable authors such as John Foxe.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parish records and local histories. For instance, a Thomas Hilburn was mentioned in the parish registers of Eccleshall, Staffordshire, in 1624. Additionally, the Hilburn family is mentioned in the history of the town of Leek, Staffordshire, where they were prominent landowners.
Other notable individuals with the Hilburn surname include William Hilburn (1786-1864), an English clergyman and author, and James Hilburn (1844-1915), a British politician who served as a member of parliament for Rochdale.
While the Hilburn name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it referred to someone living near a hill and a stream or brook.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilburn 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 Hilburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 3,086
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 315
- Two or more races5.2% · 201
- Black or African American4.9% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilburn
Hilburn 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
#7,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,390
+59 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 454 places
2020
#8,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,885
-505 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 587 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,114 | 4,331 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,568 | 4,390 | 1.49 | +59 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 454 places |
| 2020 | #8,155 | 3,885 | 1.30 | -505 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 587 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 Hilburn 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 | #7,568 | #8,155 | -7.8% |
| Count | 4,390 | 3,885 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.30 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilburn bearers went from 4,390 to 3,885 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 587 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,568 to #8,155.
FAQ
Hilburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilburn?
Name Census estimates that about 4,455 living Americans carry the surname Hilburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,937 residents.
How common is Hilburn?
Hilburn ranks #8,155 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,885 people with the surname Hilburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hilburn.
Has Hilburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilburn went from 4,390 recorded bearers to 3,885. That is a decrease of 505 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,568 to #8,155.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Hilburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (3,086 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Hispanic (8.1%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Hilburn (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 Hilburn mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill stream" or "stream by a hill" in Old English. 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 Hilburn (1.30 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 Hilburn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.