2000
#1,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,098
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.42
Uncommon Last name
Hilton
A locational surname derived from any of several places named Hilton, meaning "hill town" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,632 Americans carry the last name Hilton. That puts it at #1,256 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilton 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 Hilton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,836
Census rank
#1,256
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,585 bearers of the surname Hilton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1256th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilton
The surname Hilton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hyl" meaning hill and "tun" meaning settlement or enclosure. It is a locational surname that initially referred to individuals who lived near a hill or in a hilltop town or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hilton date back to the 12th century, with references found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166. The surname is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hiltone" and "Hiltun," referring to various places with similar names across England.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Roger Hilton, a 13th-century English knight and landowner from Westmorland, now part of Cumbria. He was a prominent figure during the reign of King Edward I and served as the Sheriff of Westmorland in 1284.
Another historical figure with the surname Hilton was Walter Hilton, a 14th-century English Augustinian canon and celebrated mystic writer. He authored several influential works on spiritual contemplation, including "The Ladder of Perfection" and "The Mixed Life." He lived from around 1340 to 1396.
In the 15th century, John Hilton, a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, played a significant role in the wool trade. He served as the Master of the Mercers' Company in 1463 and was a benefactor to various charitable causes in London.
During the 16th century, the Hilton family of Lincolnshire rose to prominence, with members such as Sir William Hilton, who served as the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1593. The family's ancestral seat was at Hilton Manor in the village of Hilton, which likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname in the area.
In the 17th century, Edward Hilton, a merchant and landowner from Northamptonshire, became a prominent figure in the colonization of Bermuda. He served as the Governor of the Somers Isles (now Bermuda) from 1616 to 1618 and played a crucial role in the early development of the colony.
Throughout its history, the surname Hilton has been associated with various place names across England, such as Hilton in Derbyshire, Hilton in Staffordshire, and Hilton in Westmorland, among others. The name has also been spelled in different ways over time, including Hylton, Hylten, and Hylten.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilton 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 Hilton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 20,953
- Black or African American14.6% · 4,041
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,129
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 1,065
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 234
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 163
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilton
Hilton 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
#1,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,918
+820 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 9.80
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#1,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,585
-1,333 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 9.23
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,139 | 28,098 | 10.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,223 | 28,918 | 9.80 | +820 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #1,256 | 27,585 | 9.23 | -1,333 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 33 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 Hilton 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 | #1,223 | #1,256 | -2.7% |
| Count | 28,918 | 27,585 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 9.80 | 9.23 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilton bearers went from 28,918 to 27,585 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,223 to #1,256.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hilton
FAQ
Hilton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilton?
Name Census estimates that about 31,632 living Americans carry the surname Hilton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,836 residents.
How common is Hilton?
Hilton ranks #1,256 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,585 people with the surname Hilton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,632), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Hilton.
Has Hilton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilton went from 28,918 recorded bearers to 27,585. That is a decrease of 1,333 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,223 to #1,256.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hilton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (20,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hilton (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 Hilton mean?
A locational surname derived from any of several places named Hilton, meaning "hill town" in Old English. 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 Hilton (9.23 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 share the surname Hilton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.