2000
#13,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,991
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Hilson
Derived from a place name meaning "hill town" in Old English, or a variant of Hillson, meaning "son of Hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,355 Americans carry the last name Hilson. That puts it at #14,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilson 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 Hilson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,543
Census rank
#14,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,054 bearers of the surname Hilson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilson
The surname Hilson has its origins in England, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from a place name such as Hill's Town or Hilton. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 13th century, with variations like Hylston and Hilston appearing in historic documents.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Hilston, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. Another early record is that of John Hilston, listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379.
The name Hilson can be traced back to various place names across England, including Hilston in Monmouthshire, Hilton in Staffordshire, and Hilton in Derbyshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English words "hyll" or "hyl," meaning hill, and "tun," meaning a settlement or farmstead.
In the 16th century, the Hilson surname gained prominence with the birth of Thomas Hilson (c. 1550-1625), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament. He served as the Recorder of Coventry and represented the borough in the House of Commons during the reign of James I.
Another notable figure was John Hilson (1599-1657), an English Puritan minister and one of the authors of the Westminster Confession of Faith. He was a prominent figure in the English Reformation and served as the rector of Croscombe in Somerset.
In the 18th century, William Hilson (1718-1786) was a renowned English engraver and printmaker, known for his intricate etchings and engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
The 19th century saw the birth of John Hilson (1835-1916), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and played a significant role in the development of the sugar industry in the state.
In the 20th century, notable individuals with the surname Hilson include Herbert Hilson (1903-1981), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire and represented England in Test matches against South Africa and the West Indies.
The surname Hilson has a rich history rooted in various regions of England, with its origins dating back to the medieval period. While the name has evolved over the centuries, it remains a testament to the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilson 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 Hilson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.5% · 1,017
- White40.7% · 837
- Two or more races5.7% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilson
Hilson 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
#11,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
+732 bearers (+36.8%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 2,364 places
2020
#14,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,054
-669 bearers (-24.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 2,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,907 | 1,991 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,543 | 2,723 | 0.92 | +732 bearers (+36.8%) | Up 2,364 places |
| 2020 | #14,048 | 2,054 | 0.69 | -669 bearers (-24.6%) | Down 2,505 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 Hilson 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 | #11,543 | #14,048 | -21.7% |
| Count | 2,723 | 2,054 | -24.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.69 | -25.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilson bearers went from 2,723 to 2,054 (-24.6% change). The surname moved down 2,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,543 to #14,048.
FAQ
Hilson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,355 living Americans carry the surname Hilson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,543 residents.
How common is Hilson?
Hilson ranks #14,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,054 people with the surname Hilson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,355), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Hilson.
Has Hilson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilson went from 2,723 recorded bearers to 2,054. That is a decrease of 669 (-24.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,543 to #14,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hilson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (1,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.5%), White (40.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Hilson (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 Hilson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill town" in Old English, or a variant of Hillson, meaning "son of 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 Hilson (0.69 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 Hilson?
See how common the surname Hilson is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.