2000
#7,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Hinckley
From the place name Hinckley, derived from the Old English personal name Hynca combined with the word "leah" meaning wood or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,644 Americans carry the last name Hinckley. That puts it at #7,853 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinckley 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 Hinckley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 73,806
Census rank
#7,853
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,050 bearers of the surname Hinckley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7853rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinckley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinckley
The surname Hinckley is of English origin, derived from the town of Hinckley in Leicestershire. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with the earliest known spelling being "Hinguelei" in the Domesday Book of 1086.
The name is believed to have its roots in the Old English words "hinca" meaning "hinge" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name originally referred to a person who lived in a meadow or clearing near a hinge-like bend in a river or road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hinckley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from 1194, where a Robert de Hinguelei is mentioned. In the 13th century, the spelling evolved to "Hinkeley" and "Hynkeley," indicating the name's association with the town of Hinckley.
During the Middle Ages, the town of Hinckley gained prominence as a center for the production of high-quality wool and leather goods. This connection with the local industry may have contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname by families residing in the area.
Notable individuals with the surname Hinckley include:
1. Thomas Hinckley (1618-1706), an early colonial governor of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.
2. Ephraim Hinckley (1639-1720), a lieutenant in the militia during King Philip's War and a member of the Massachusetts General Court.
3. John Hinckley Jr. (born 1955), an American man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
4. Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008), the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who served from 1995 to 2008.
5. Sir John Hinckley (1633-1701), an English politician and member of Parliament for Hertfordshire.
While the surname Hinckley has its roots in a specific town in Leicestershire, it has since spread throughout England and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to various aspects of history and society over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinckley
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinckley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinckley 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 Hinckley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,702
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 157
- Two or more races3.1% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 36
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinckley
Hinckley 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
#7,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,227
+303 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#7,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,050
-177 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,817 | 3,924 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,835 | 4,227 | 1.43 | +303 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #7,853 | 4,050 | 1.35 | -177 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 18 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 Hinckley 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 | #7,835 | #7,853 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,227 | 4,050 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.35 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinckley bearers went from 4,227 to 4,050 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,835 to #7,853.
FAQ
Hinckley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinckley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,644 living Americans carry the surname Hinckley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,806 residents.
How common is Hinckley?
Hinckley ranks #7,853 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,050 people with the surname Hinckley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Hinckley.
Has Hinckley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinckley went from 4,227 recorded bearers to 4,050. That is a decrease of 177 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,835 to #7,853.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinckley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinckley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Hinckley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,702 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinckley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Hinckley (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 Hinckley mean?
From the place name Hinckley, derived from the Old English personal name Hynca combined with the word "leah" meaning wood or clearing. 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 Hinckley (1.35 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 Hinckley?
You can see how many people have the surname Hinckley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.