2000
#5,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,910
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Hillard
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,525 Americans carry the last name Hillard. That puts it at #5,852 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillard 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 Hillard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,529
Census rank
#5,852
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,690 bearers of the surname Hillard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5852nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hillard
The surname Hillard is of English origin, deriving from a combination of the Old English words "hyll" meaning hill and "ard" meaning high ground or ridge. It first emerged in the region of Yorkshire during the Middle Ages, where it was likely used as a descriptive name for someone who lived on or near a hillside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hillard surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hilliard" in reference to a landowner in the county of Lincolnshire. The name also appears in various medieval records and tax rolls from the 13th to 15th centuries, often with slight variations in spelling such as "Hyllard" or "Hyllarde".
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Hillard surname began to spread across England, with notable bearers including John Hillard (1516-1584), a prominent English clergyman and reformer who served as the Dean of Worcester Cathedral. Another notable figure was Richard Hillard (1605-1675), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the county of Hertfordshire.
In the 18th century, the Hillard family had established branches in various parts of England, including the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. One notable individual from this period was William Hillard (1735-1812), a successful barrister and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Carmarthen Circuit in Wales.
As the British Empire expanded, the Hillard surname also found its way to various colonies and territories. One example is George Hillard (1808-1885), an American author, lawyer, and educator who was born in Machias, Maine, and later served as the President of the Boston University.
Another notable figure was Sir Norman Hillard (1876-1954), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Windward Islands from 1929 to 1933, and later as the Governor of Gambia from 1933 to 1936.
Overall, the surname Hillard has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for someone living on or near a hill. Over the centuries, it has been borne by many notable individuals across various professions and regions, reflecting the diverse paths taken by families bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillard
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hillard 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 Hillard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 3,813
- Black or African American26.3% · 1,497
- Two or more races3.5% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillard
Hillard 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
#5,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,223
+313 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#5,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,690
-533 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,424 | 5,910 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,585 | 6,223 | 2.11 | +313 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #5,852 | 5,690 | 1.90 | -533 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 267 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 Hillard 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 | #5,585 | #5,852 | -4.8% |
| Count | 6,223 | 5,690 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 1.90 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillard bearers went from 6,223 to 5,690 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 267 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,585 to #5,852.
FAQ
Hillard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillard?
Name Census estimates that about 6,525 living Americans carry the surname Hillard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,529 residents.
How common is Hillard?
Hillard ranks #5,852 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 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 5,690 people with the surname Hillard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 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 Hillard.
Has Hillard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillard went from 6,223 recorded bearers to 5,690. That is a decrease of 533 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,585 to #5,852.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Hillard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (3,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (26.3%), Two or More Races (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 Hillard (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 Hillard mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill. 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 Hillard (1.90 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 Hillard?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.