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

Hills, 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 Hills surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hills in America

Hills is the 2608th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hills surname appeared 13,829 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Hills.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hills 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 Hills

The surname HILLS is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from the Old English word "hyll," meaning a hill or elevated land. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a hill or in a hilly area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de la Hille" in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Surrey.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Atte Hille," "de la Hille," and "del Hille," reflecting the evolution of the English language and the transition from the Anglo-Norman spelling to the more modern form.

Notable individuals with the surname HILLS include John Hills (1590-1628), an English Puritan clergyman and author; Robert Hills (1769-1853), an English painter and engraver; and George Hills (1816-1895), an English librarian and bibliographer who served as the Principal Librarian of the British Museum.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir John Hills (1834-1902), a British civil engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the construction of railways and bridges in India during the 19th century.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname HILLS was Joseph Hills (1602-1688), an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the colonial government.

The name HILLS has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Hillsborough in County Down, Northern Ireland, which is believed to have derived its name from the Old English "Hylles" and "burh," meaning a fortified place on a hill.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hills

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

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 Hills 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 Hills 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 Hills was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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