2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hillgrove
A habitational surname denoting someone from a hill surrounded by a grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Hillgrove. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillgrove 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Hillgrove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillgrove, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Black (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hillgrove
The surname HILLGROVE originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'hyll' meaning hill and 'graf' meaning grove or small wood. The name refers to someone who lived near or came from a settlement situated on a hill near a grove of trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HILLGROVE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Hillegraf'. This entry suggests the name was already well-established by the 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a Peter de Hilgrove residing in Gloucestershire, England. This is one of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname HILLGROVE.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, with records from 1579 showing a William Hillgrove living in Oxfordshire.
Notable individuals with the surname HILLGROVE include John Hillgrove (1624-1689), an English merchant and member of the East India Company, and Mary Hillgrove (1743-1812), a British philanthropist who founded several schools for underprivileged children.
In the 19th century, the HILLGROVE name was associated with several prominent figures, such as Sir William Hillgrove (1815-1891), a British politician and Member of Parliament, and Captain James Hillgrove (1832-1905), a renowned explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to Africa.
Another notable individual was Robert Hillgrove (1872-1939), an American author and historian who wrote extensively on the American Civil War.
While the HILLGROVE surname originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillgrove
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillgrove, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Black (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hillgrove 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 Hillgrove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 9
- Black or African American5.4% · 6
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillgrove
Hillgrove 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,720 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,720 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,963 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 Hillgrove 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 | #152,628 | #148,665 | 2.6% |
| Count | 107 | 111 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillgrove bearers went from 107 to 111 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #148,665.
FAQ
Hillgrove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillgrove?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Hillgrove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Hillgrove?
Hillgrove ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Hillgrove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Hillgrove.
Has Hillgrove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillgrove went from 107 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillgrove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillgrove, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Black (5.4%). 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 Hillgrove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillgrove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (8.1%), Black (5.4%). 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 Hillgrove (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 Hillgrove mean?
A habitational surname denoting someone from a hill surrounded by a grove. 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 Hillgrove (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 have the surname Hillgrove?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.