2000
#25,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Very Rare Last name
Hilligoss
A German surname possibly derived from a location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 952 Americans carry the last name Hilligoss. That puts it at #30,199 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 360,036 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilligoss 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
952
1 in 360,036
Census rank
#30,199
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
830
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 830 bearers of the surname Hilligoss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30199th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilligoss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilligoss
The surname Hilligoss has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 15th century in parts of central Germany. It is believed to have derived from the German words "hillig" meaning "holy" and "goss" meaning "stream" or "brook", indicating that it may have originally referred to someone who lived near a holy stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Hilligoss can be found in a document from the town of Eisenach, dated 1487, which refers to a "Johannes Hilligoss" as a resident. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the region.
In the 16th century, variations of the spelling began to appear, such as "Hilligos", "Hilligoß", and "Hilligosse", reflecting the fluid nature of surname spelling during that period. These spellings can be found in church records and land registries from various towns in central Germany.
The name Hilligoss appears to have spread beyond its original region through migration and the movement of people during the 17th and 18th centuries. Records from this time show individuals with the surname living in areas such as Saxony, Thuringia, and even as far as Bavaria.
One notable person with the surname Hilligoss was Johann Hilligoss (1653-1718), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from the town of Erfurt. He was known for his scholarly works on biblical exegesis and his contributions to the theological debates of his time.
Another individual of note was Anna Hilligoss (1712-1782), a midwife from the town of Gotha who is credited with pioneering techniques in childbirth and maternal care that were considered innovative for her time.
In the 19th century, the surname Hilligoss began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the spread of German diaspora communities. For example, there are references to a family bearing the name living in the Netherlands during this period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hilligoss name in North America can be found in the passenger lists of a ship that arrived in Philadelphia in 1846, carrying a family with the surname from the German states.
Throughout its history, the surname Hilligoss has been associated with various occupations and professions, from clergy and scholars to tradesmen and farmers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who have borne the name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilligoss
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilligoss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilligoss 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 Hilligoss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 760
- Two or more races4.7% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilligoss
Hilligoss 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
#27,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 880
-19 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,676 places
2020
#30,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 830
-50 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,735 | 899 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,411 | 880 | 0.30 | -19 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,676 places |
| 2020 | #30,199 | 830 | 0.28 | -50 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 2,788 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 Hilligoss 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 | #27,411 | #30,199 | -10.2% |
| Count | 880 | 830 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.28 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilligoss bearers went from 880 to 830 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 2,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,411 to #30,199.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hilligoss
FAQ
Hilligoss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilligoss?
Name Census estimates that about 952 living Americans carry the surname Hilligoss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 360,036 residents.
How common is Hilligoss?
Hilligoss ranks #30,199 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 830 people with the surname Hilligoss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Hilligoss.
Has Hilligoss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilligoss went from 880 recorded bearers to 830. That is a decrease of 50 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,411 to #30,199.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilligoss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilligoss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Hilligoss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilligoss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Hilligoss (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 Hilligoss mean?
A German surname possibly derived from a location name. 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 Hilligoss (0.28 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 Americans have the surname Hilligoss?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.