2000
#4,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.71
Rare Last name
Hildreth
One who lives near a battle mound or memorial mound, likely derived from Old English hyll and þryð.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,737 Americans carry the last name Hildreth. That puts it at #5,039 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,301 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hildreth 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 Hildreth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,301
Census rank
#5,039
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,747 bearers of the surname Hildreth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5039th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hildreth, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hildreth
Among Census respondents with the surname Hildreth, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hildreth 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 Hildreth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 5,505
- Black or African American10.0% · 678
- Two or more races3.4% · 230
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 182
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hildreth
Hildreth 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
#4,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,269
-33 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 381 places
2020
#5,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,747
-522 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,468 | 7,302 | 2.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,849 | 7,269 | 2.46 | -33 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 381 places |
| 2020 | #5,039 | 6,747 | 2.26 | -522 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 190 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 Hildreth 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 | #4,849 | #5,039 | -3.9% |
| Count | 7,269 | 6,747 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.26 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hildreth bearers went from 7,269 to 6,747 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 190 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,849 to #5,039.
FAQ
Hildreth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hildreth?
Name Census estimates that about 7,737 living Americans carry the surname Hildreth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,301 residents.
How common is Hildreth?
Hildreth ranks #5,039 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 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 6,747 people with the surname Hildreth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 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 Hildreth.
Has Hildreth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hildreth went from 7,269 recorded bearers to 6,747. That is a decrease of 522 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,849 to #5,039.
What does the Census say about the background of Hildreth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hildreth, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Hildreth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (5,505 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hildreth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Hildreth (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 Hildreth mean?
One who lives near a battle mound or memorial mound, likely derived from Old English hyll and þryð. 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 Hildreth (2.26 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 Hildreth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.