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

Hillyard, 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 Hillyard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hillyard in America

Hillyard is the 13616th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hillyard surname appeared 2,225 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hillyard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hillyard 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 Hillyard

The surname HILLYARD is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "hyll" meaning hill and "geard" meaning yard or enclosure, referring to someone who lived near a fenced or enclosed hill.

The name was first recorded in Nottinghamshire, England, where it was closely associated with the village of Hillyard near Calverton. Early spellings of the name included Hilliard, Hyllyard, and Hylliarde. It is believed that the name may have originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who lived on or near a particular hill.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname HILLYARD is in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1196, where a Richard de Hilliard is listed. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a Roger de Hyllyard is mentioned.

In the 14th century, the HILLYARD surname can be found in various records throughout England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which list a John Hylliarde. The name is also recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1332, where a Thomas Hilliard is mentioned.

Notable individuals with the surname HILLYARD throughout history include:

1. Sir Christopher Hillyard (c. 1525 – 1598), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. Robert Hillyard (1654 – 1728), an English clergyman and author of several religious works, including "The Practical Expositor" published in 1712.

3. William Hillyard (1690 – 1767), an English engraver and printmaker known for his portraits and illustrations of historical events.

4. Thomas Hillyard (1763 – 1839), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including St. Pancras New Church.

5. John Hillyard Cameron (1819 – 1887), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and later as a Senator.

The HILLYARD surname continues to be found throughout England, as well as in other parts of the world where English settlers migrated, such as Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hillyard

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

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

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

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