Hines last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Hines is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hines.

Meaning of Hines

Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the hind's spring or stream" in Old English.

Hines, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hines surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hines in America

Hines is the 462nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hines surname appeared 71,717 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 24 people would have the surname Hines.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hines to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 462 432 6.71%
Count 71,717 68,145 5.11%
Proportion per 100k 24.31 25.26 -3.83%

The history of the last name Hines

The surname Hines has its origins in Ireland, where it can be traced back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "O'hInnsi," which means "descendant of Innsi." The name was initially associated with the ancient Irish kingdom of Ui Briuin Chualann, located in what is now County Dublin and County Wicklow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hines can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Domhnall O'hInnsi, who was a member of the Ui Briuin Chualann dynasty and lived in the 12th century.

The name Hines has also been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Hines Castle in County Dublin and Hines Bridge in County Wicklow. These place names likely originated from the presence of families bearing the surname Hines in those areas.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Hines underwent several spelling variations, including O'Hines, O'Hynnes, and Hynes. This was a common occurrence as surnames became more standardized during this period.

One notable bearer of the name Hines was Sir John Hines (1554-1623), an English military commander and landowner who served under Elizabeth I and James I. Another prominent figure was Michael Hines (1800-1868), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1854 to 1856.

In the realm of literature, the name Hines is associated with the Irish novelist and playwright John Hines (1884-1944), who was known for his works exploring the lives of the working class in Dublin.

The Hines family also played a significant role in the development of aviation. James Milton Hines (1856-1928) and his son John Walter Hines (1888-1956) were pioneering aviators who established the Hines Aircraft Company in the early 20th century.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Father John Hines (1838-1914), a Catholic priest and educator who founded St. Vincent's College in Los Angeles, California, which later became Loyola Marymount University.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hines

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hines.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hines was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 57.72% 41,395
Non-Hispanic Black Only 36.73% 26,342
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.49% 351
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.49% 351
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.31% 1,657
Hispanic Origin 2.25% 1,614

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hines has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 57.72% 60.48% -4.67%
Black 36.73% 35.62% 3.07%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.49% 0.38% 25.29%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.49% 0.46% 6.32%
Two or More Races 2.31% 1.56% 38.76%
Hispanic 2.25% 1.49% 40.64%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hines was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hines, please contact us.

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"Hines last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 6, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hines-surname-popularity/.

"Hines last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hines-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 October, 2024

Hines last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/hines-surname-popularity/.

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