2000
#2,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,291
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.30
Uncommon Last name
Hinds
A surname of English origin referring to a servant or one who tends deer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,041 Americans carry the last name Hinds. That puts it at #2,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinds 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 Hinds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,114
Census rank
#2,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,861 bearers of the surname Hinds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinds, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinds
The surname HINDS is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hind," which referred to a female deer or a farm worker, specifically a peasant who tended livestock.
In the early days, surnames were often descriptive, referring to a person's occupation, physical appearance, or place of residence. The name HINDS likely originated as a nickname for someone who worked with deer or as a farm laborer responsible for tending to animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HINDS can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a John le Hynde. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
Another early reference to the name HINDS appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, which lists a William Hynde. These rolls were tax records used to collect subsidies from the population for military campaigns.
The surname HINDS has also been associated with various place names, such as Hyndburn in Lancashire, Hindon in Wiltshire, and Hindlip in Worcestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname HINDS throughout history include:
1. Sir Francis Hinds (1556-1627), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Bedfordshire.
2. John Hinds (1784-1865), an Irish mathematician and astronomer who served as the Astronomer Royal for Ireland.
3. Samuel Hinds (1793-1890), an English engineer and inventor who designed and built the first practical screw propeller for maritime use.
4. James Hinds (1833-1907), a British naturalist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of mollusks and marine biology.
5. Assheton Hinds (1870-1944), a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1933 to 1938.
The HINDS surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with various occupations, places, and notable individuals throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinds
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinds, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinds 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 Hinds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.1% · 8,637
- Black or African American30.2% · 4,482
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 817
- Two or more races4.8% · 718
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinds
Hinds 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
#2,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,337
+1,046 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 5.20
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#2,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,861
-476 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.97
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,319 | 14,291 | 5.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,375 | 15,337 | 5.20 | +1,046 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #2,395 | 14,861 | 4.97 | -476 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 20 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 Hinds 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 | #2,375 | #2,395 | -0.8% |
| Count | 15,337 | 14,861 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.20 | 4.97 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinds bearers went from 15,337 to 14,861 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,375 to #2,395.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hinds
FAQ
Hinds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinds?
Name Census estimates that about 17,041 living Americans carry the surname Hinds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,114 residents.
How common is Hinds?
Hinds ranks #2,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,861 people with the surname Hinds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Hinds.
Has Hinds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinds went from 15,337 recorded bearers to 14,861. That is a decrease of 476 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,375 to #2,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinds, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Hinds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (8,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.1%), Black (30.2%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Hinds (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 Hinds mean?
A surname of English origin referring to a servant or one who tends deer. 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 Hinds (4.97 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 Hinds?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.