2000
#12,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Hilty
Derived from a German nickname meaning "crooked" or "lame," likely referring to a person with a physical deformity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,698 Americans carry the last name Hilty. That puts it at #9,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilty 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.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,686
Census rank
#9,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,225 bearers of the surname Hilty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilty, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilty
The surname Hilty originates from the German-speaking regions of Switzerland, particularly the Swiss canton of Appenzell. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "hilta," which translates to "battle" or "fight." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname referring to someone who was known for their prowess in battle or their aggressive nature.
The earliest recorded instances of the Hilty surname date back to the 14th century in Swiss historical records and documents. One notable example is found in the Appenzell Monastery Annals from the year 1349, which mentions a "Chunrat Hilti" as a resident of the village of Hundwil.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Hilty surname began to spread beyond the borders of Switzerland as members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In 1637, a Hans Hilty was recorded as a citizen of the city of Ulm in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest known Hilty immigrants to North America was Johannes Hilty, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Switzerland in 1737. He settled in Lancaster County and became a prominent figure in the local Swiss-German community.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Hilty surname. These include:
1. Carl Hilty (1833-1909), a Swiss jurist and legal scholar who served as the President of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court from 1888 to 1904.
2. Johann Jakob Hilty (1819-1890), a Swiss theologian and author who was a prominent figure in the Reformed Church and wrote extensively on Christian ethics.
3. Philipp Hilty (1858-1909), a Swiss painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Switzerland.
4. Gottfried Hilty (1847-1908), a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council (the country's executive branch) from 1897 to 1908.
5. Gerold Hilty (1938-2008), a Swiss author and journalist who wrote numerous novels, short stories, and plays, many of which explored themes of Swiss identity and culture.
The Hilty surname has also been associated with various place names in Switzerland, such as Hiltisried, a municipality in the canton of Bern, and Hiltiberg, a mountain in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilty
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilty, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilty 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 Hilty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 3,090
- Two or more races1.4% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 45
- Black or African American0.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilty
Hilty 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
#10,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,037
+655 bearers (+27.5%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 1,479 places
2020
#9,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,225
+188 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,032 | 2,382 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,553 | 3,037 | 1.03 | +655 bearers (+27.5%) | Up 1,479 places |
| 2020 | #9,628 | 3,225 | 1.08 | +188 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 925 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 Hilty 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 | #10,553 | #9,628 | 8.8% |
| Count | 3,037 | 3,225 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 1.08 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilty bearers went from 3,037 to 3,225 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 925 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,553 to #9,628.
FAQ
Hilty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilty?
Name Census estimates that about 3,698 living Americans carry the surname Hilty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,686 residents.
How common is Hilty?
Hilty ranks #9,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,225 people with the surname Hilty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Hilty.
Has Hilty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilty went from 3,037 recorded bearers to 3,225. That is an increase of 188 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,553 to #9,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilty, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Hilty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (3,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Two or More Races (1.4%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Hilty (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 Hilty mean?
Derived from a German nickname meaning "crooked" or "lame," likely referring to a person with a physical deformity. 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 Hilty (1.08 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 Americans have the surname Hilty?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.