2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hillegonds
A Dutch surname derived from the combination of elements meaning "holy" and "valley" or "font" (heilige ons).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 151 Americans carry the last name Hillegonds. That puts it at #133,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,269,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillegonds 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.
Bearers in the US
151
1 in 2,269,896
Census rank
#133,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
132
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 132 bearers of the surname Hillegonds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillegonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hillegonds
The surname HILLEGONDS is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "hille," meaning "hill," and "gond," which is a variant of the word "gond" or "gonde," meaning "land" or "area." The name likely referred to a person who lived on or near a hill or elevated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 14th century, where it appears in the form "Hillegondis" in a Dutch manuscript from the city of Leiden. This early spelling suggests the name may have originally been a given name before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the Netherlands, including the form "Hillegonts" in a 1487 census record from the town of Gouda. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time and across different regions.
During the 16th century, the name HILLEGONDS gained prominence in the Netherlands, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such individual was Pieter HILLEGONDS, a merchant and alderman in the city of Amsterdam, who lived from 1520 to 1588.
In the 17th century, the name HILLEGONDS can be found in Dutch records related to the colonization of the Americas. Jan HILLEGONDS, born in 1625 in Amsterdam, was one of the early Dutch settlers in the New Netherland colony, which later became New York.
Another notable bearer of the HILLEGONDS surname was Geertruida HILLEGONDS, a Dutch painter born in 1680 in The Hague. She was known for her still-life paintings and portraits, and her works can be found in several museums in the Netherlands.
As the Dutch diaspora spread across the globe, the HILLEGONDS surname traveled with them. In the 18th century, records show the name appearing in Dutch settlements in South Africa, where it was sometimes anglicized to "Hilligonds" or "Hilligons."
Throughout history, the HILLEGONDS surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, colonists, and farmers. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its Dutch origins and connection to the landscape remain a significant part of its cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillegonds
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillegonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hillegonds 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 Hillegonds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillegonds
Hillegonds 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-5 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,656 places
2020
#133,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+2 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,610 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 11,656 places |
| 2020 | #133,220 | 132 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 2,610 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 Hillegonds 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 | #130,610 | #133,220 | -2.0% |
| Count | 130 | 132 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillegonds bearers went from 130 to 132 (+1.5% change). The surname moved down 2,610 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #133,220.
FAQ
Hillegonds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillegonds?
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the surname Hillegonds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,269,896 residents.
How common is Hillegonds?
Hillegonds ranks #133,220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 132 people with the surname Hillegonds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (151), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hillegonds.
Has Hillegonds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillegonds went from 130 recorded bearers to 132. That is an increase of 2 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #133,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillegonds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillegonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Hillegonds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillegonds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Hillegonds (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 Hillegonds mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the combination of elements meaning "holy" and "valley" or "font" (heilige ons). 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 Hillegonds (0.04 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 are called Hillegonds?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Hillegonds at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.