2000
#5,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Hillis
Derived from a place name meaning "hill" or "slopes" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,426 Americans carry the last name Hillis. That puts it at #5,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,339 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillis 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 Hillis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,339
Census rank
#5,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,604 bearers of the surname Hillis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hillis
The surname Hillis is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hyll," meaning hill or elevated ground. It likely originated as a toponymic surname, referring to someone who lived near a hill or in a hilly region.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Hillis, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls in 1285.
In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, compiled in 1273, there is a reference to a place called "Hillesden," which may have been derived from the same root as the surname Hillis. This suggests that the name may have been associated with certain locations or settlements in medieval England.
Over time, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Hillis, Hilles, Hillys, and Hilhouse. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes and record-keepers.
One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Robert Hillis (c. 1495-1565), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was William Hillis (1684-1764), a prominent English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In Scotland, the surname Hillis is also found, and it is believed to have originated independently from the English version, possibly derived from the Gaelic word "choill," meaning wood or forest. One of the earliest recorded Scots bearing this name was John Hillis, who was listed in the Ragman Rolls of 1296.
Across the Atlantic, the Hillis surname made its way to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, with immigrants from England, Scotland, and Ireland settling in various parts of the New World. Notable individuals with this surname in America include Samuel Hillis (1790-1863), a prominent Baptist minister and educator in Kentucky, and John Hillis (1826-1901), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
As time passed, the Hillis surname spread across the globe, carried by individuals and families who sought new opportunities or were driven by various historical events and migrations. Despite its widespread distribution, the name remains rooted in its English and Scottish origins, reflecting the rich tapestry of linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped surnames over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillis
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hillis 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 Hillis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 4,999
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 174
- Two or more races3.0% · 170
- Black or African American2.6% · 148
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillis
Hillis 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
#5,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,866
+193 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 276 places
2020
#5,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,604
-262 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,608 | 5,673 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,884 | 5,866 | 1.99 | +193 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 276 places |
| 2020 | #5,926 | 5,604 | 1.87 | -262 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 42 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 Hillis 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 | #5,884 | #5,926 | -0.7% |
| Count | 5,866 | 5,604 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.87 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillis bearers went from 5,866 to 5,604 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,884 to #5,926.
FAQ
Hillis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillis?
Name Census estimates that about 6,426 living Americans carry the surname Hillis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,339 residents.
How common is Hillis?
Hillis ranks #5,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,604 people with the surname Hillis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hillis.
Has Hillis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillis went from 5,866 recorded bearers to 5,604. That is a decrease of 262 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,884 to #5,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hillis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (4,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hillis (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 Hillis mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill" or "slopes" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence. 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 Hillis (1.87 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 common is the surname Hillis?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Hillis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.