Find out how popular the last name Hilliard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hilliard.

Hilliard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hilliard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hilliard in America

Hilliard is the 1756th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hilliard surname appeared 20,377 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Hilliard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hilliard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hilliard

The surname Hilliard originated in England, deriving from the medieval given name Hilliard or Hildyard. This name is a combination of the Germanic elements 'hild' meaning 'battle' and 'gard' meaning 'enclosed yard or garden'. The earliest records of the name date back to the 12th century in parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Radulfus Hildeierd, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. The Hilliard family was also recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were ancient censuses of households in England. The name appeared in various spellings such as Hildyard, Hildiard, and Hillierd during the Middle Ages.

The Hilliard surname is closely associated with the village of Winestead in Holderness, Yorkshire, where the family held lands and a manor house from the 13th century onwards. Notable members of the Winestead Hilliards include Thomas Hilliard (c.1505-1567), who served as the Clerk of the Court of Wards and Liveries under King Henry VIII and Edward VI.

Another prominent figure was Nicholas Hilliard (c.1537-1619), a renowned English goldsmith, limner, and painter who became a famous portrait artist during the Elizabethan era. He painted miniature portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh, and other notable figures of the time.

In the 17th century, the Hilliard family spread to other parts of England, including Berkshire and Wiltshire. One notable bearer was Thomas Hilliard (1624-1694), an English clergyman and religious writer who served as the vicar of Chilmark in Wiltshire.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Hilliards achieved distinction in various fields. These include John Hilliard (1778-1835), an English engraver known for his landscape etchings, and Henry Washington Hilliard (1808-1892), an American lawyer, politician, and writer who served as a United States Representative from Alabama.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hilliard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hilliard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hilliard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hilliard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hilliard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hilliard, please contact us.

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