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

Hildreth, 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 Hildreth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hildreth in America

Hildreth is the 4849th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hildreth surname appeared 7,269 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 Hildreth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hildreth 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 Hildreth

The surname Hildreth has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hild" meaning battle and "ræd" meaning counsel or advice, possibly referring to a person who provided counsel in times of war.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hildret" in the county of Worcestershire. This suggests that the name may have been more prevalent in the West Midlands region of England during the medieval period.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Hildred, Hildret, and Hildreth. Some of these variations can be found in historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of the 12th century and the Hundredorum Rolls of the 13th century.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Hildreth was Sir John Hildreth (c. 1320-1389), a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was granted lands in Gloucestershire for his service to the Crown.

Another significant bearer of the name was Richard Hildreth (1807-1865), an American journalist, author, and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the United States. His works, such as "History of the United States of America" and "Theory of Politics," were influential in shaping the understanding of American history and political thought.

In the literary world, James Hildreth (1788-1856), an English poet and writer, gained recognition for his collections of poetry, including "The Seasons" and "Rural Scenes and Prospects."

The name Hildreth has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Hildreth Hall in Staffordshire and Hildreth Farm in Cambridgeshire, further reflecting its historical presence in various regions of the country.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hildreth include John Hildreth (1625-1715), an early settler in Massachusetts and founder of Hildreth's Landing, and Ezekiel Hildreth (1716-1773), a prominent merchant and landowner in Boston during the colonial era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hildreth

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

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 Hildreth 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 Hildreth 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 Hildreth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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