2000
#10,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,783
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Hillier
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,245 Americans carry the last name Hillier. That puts it at #10,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillier 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 Hillier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,625
Census rank
#10,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,830 bearers of the surname Hillier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hillier
The surname Hillier originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hyl," meaning "hill," and the occupational suffix "-ier," signifying one who lived or worked on a hill. The name was likely first used to identify individuals residing near or working on a prominent hill or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hillier can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a person named William le Hillier in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 13th century and may have been adopted earlier.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Hyllyer, Hyllere, and Hyllyere, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 and 1332 recorded individuals named John le Hyllere and Adam le Hyllere in Somerset and Wiltshire, respectively.
The surname Hillier is also associated with several place names in England, such as Hillier's Copse in Hampshire and Hillier's Farm in Berkshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Hillier surname who owned or resided in those locations.
Notable individuals with the surname Hillier throughout history include:
1. Sir Harold Hillier (1905-1985), an English horticulturist and creator of the renowned Hillier Gardens in Hampshire.
2. Alfred Hillier (1839-1920), an English cricketer who played for Surrey and the Marylebone Cricket Club.
3. Thomas Hillier (1785-1867), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Corn Exchange and the Haymarket Theatre.
4. Mary Hillier (1776-1847), an English diarist and author who wrote extensively about life in late 18th and early 19th century England.
5. John Hillier (1797-1875), a British painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life.
While the surname Hillier is predominantly found in England and has its roots in the English language, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, likely through migration and intermarriage. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain deeply rooted in the English landscape and its historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillier
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hillier 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 Hillier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,575
- Two or more races3.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillier
Hillier 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
#10,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,079
+296 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 130 places
2020
#10,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
-249 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,578 | 2,783 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,448 | 3,079 | 1.04 | +296 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 130 places |
| 2020 | #10,766 | 2,830 | 0.95 | -249 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 318 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 Hillier 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 | #10,448 | #10,766 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,079 | 2,830 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.95 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillier bearers went from 3,079 to 2,830 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,448 to #10,766.
FAQ
Hillier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillier?
Name Census estimates that about 3,245 living Americans carry the surname Hillier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,625 residents.
How common is Hillier?
Hillier ranks #10,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,830 people with the surname Hillier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Hillier.
Has Hillier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillier went from 3,079 recorded bearers to 2,830. That is a decrease of 249 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,448 to #10,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hillier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hillier (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 Hillier 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 Hillier (0.95 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 Hillier?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Hillier is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.