2000
#7,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,960
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Hiles
Derived from a place name meaning "hills" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near hills.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,127 Americans carry the last name Hiles. That puts it at #8,749 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,052 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hiles 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 Hiles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,052
Census rank
#8,749
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,599 bearers of the surname Hiles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8749th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hiles
The surname HILES originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hil," meaning a hill or a mound. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a hill or a ridge.
The earliest known record of the HILES surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Dorset, where it was spelled as "Hyles." This spelling variation was common in those times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a collection of administrative records from the reign of King Edward I, there is a mention of a person named "Reginald de la Hyle," which is believed to be an early reference to the HILES surname.
During the 14th century, the HILES surname appeared in various historical documents and records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a "John atte Hule" was listed.
One of the earliest known bearers of the HILES surname was Sir Robert Hilles, who lived in the 15th century and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1472. He was a prominent merchant and played a significant role in the city's affairs during his tenure.
Another notable individual with the HILES surname was Richard Hilles, a 16th-century English merchant and diplomat. He was born in Middlesex around 1516 and served as a member of the Muscovy Company, which was involved in trade with Russia.
In the 17th century, the HILES surname was associated with the village of Hiles in Gloucestershire, which likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in that region.
John Hiles, born in 1609 in Dorset, was a renowned English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works and served as the rector of Faringdon in Berkshire.
Thomas Hiles, born in 1662 in Somerset, was a notable architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in the south of England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Over the centuries, the HILES surname has been found in various parts of England, particularly in the southern and western regions, where it has a strong historical presence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hiles
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hiles 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 Hiles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 3,192
- Two or more races3.8% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 127
- Black or African American2.8% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hiles
Hiles 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
#8,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,962
+2 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 620 places
2020
#8,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,599
-363 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,736 | 3,960 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,356 | 3,962 | 1.34 | +2 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 620 places |
| 2020 | #8,749 | 3,599 | 1.20 | -363 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 393 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 Hiles 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 | #8,356 | #8,749 | -4.7% |
| Count | 3,962 | 3,599 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.20 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hiles bearers went from 3,962 to 3,599 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,356 to #8,749.
FAQ
Hiles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hiles?
Name Census estimates that about 4,127 living Americans carry the surname Hiles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,052 residents.
How common is Hiles?
Hiles ranks #8,749 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,599 people with the surname Hiles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Hiles.
Has Hiles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hiles went from 3,962 recorded bearers to 3,599. That is a decrease of 363 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,356 to #8,749.
What does the Census say about the background of Hiles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Hiles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (3,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hiles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Hiles (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 Hiles mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hills" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near hills. 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 Hiles (1.20 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 last name Hiles?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Hiles on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.