2000
#13,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Hillyard
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill enclosure or steep hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,292 Americans carry the last name Hillyard. That puts it at #14,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillyard 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 Hillyard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,544
Census rank
#14,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,999 bearers of the surname Hillyard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillyard
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hillyard 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 Hillyard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,845
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 67
- Two or more races2.4% · 47
- Black or African American1.1% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillyard
Hillyard 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
#13,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,225
+163 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#14,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,999
-226 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 783 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,513 | 2,062 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,616 | 2,225 | 0.75 | +163 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #14,399 | 1,999 | 0.67 | -226 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 783 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 Hillyard 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 | #13,616 | #14,399 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,225 | 1,999 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.67 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillyard bearers went from 2,225 to 1,999 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 783 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,616 to #14,399.
FAQ
Hillyard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillyard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,292 living Americans carry the surname Hillyard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,544 residents.
How common is Hillyard?
Hillyard ranks #14,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,999 people with the surname Hillyard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,292), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Hillyard.
Has Hillyard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillyard went from 2,225 recorded bearers to 1,999. That is a decrease of 226 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,616 to #14,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillyard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Hillyard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillyard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Hillyard (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 Hillyard mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill enclosure or steep 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 Hillyard (0.67 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 are called Hillyard?
Find out how many people have the surname Hillyard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.