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

Hinnant, 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 Hinnant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hinnant in America

Hinnant is the 13121st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hinnant surname appeared 2,336 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hinnant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hinnant 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.

The history of the last name Hinnant

The surname HINNANT is of English origin and dates back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "hinne" meaning "a young male deer" and "ant" meaning "messenger or servant". The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Hyndehannt, found in the Manorial Records of Norwich, Norfolk in 1379.

The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia, England. It is thought to have been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked as a messenger or servant responsible for tending to the deer on a nobleman's estate.

In the 15th century, variations of the name such as Hyndehant and Hyndehunt were found in the Feet of Fines records for the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during the medieval period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Hyndehunt, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1446. Another early reference is to William Hyndehunt, whose name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk in 1524.

Over time, the name evolved to its modern spelling of HINNANT, with variations such as Hinnent and Hinnand also being recorded. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. Robert Hinnant (born 1939), an American professional golfer who won several tournaments on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.

2. Edith Hinnant (1884-1970), an American educator and suffragist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in North Carolina in the early 20th century.

3. William Hinnant (1888-1963), a British author and journalist who wrote several books on travel and exploration in the early 20th century.

4. John Hinnant (1916-2004), an Australian artist and sculptor known for his abstract sculptures and works in metal.

5. Sarah Hinnant (born 1978), an American singer-songwriter and musician who has released several albums in the folk and Americana genres.

While the name HINNANT is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in East Anglia, where it originated as an occupational name for those responsible for tending to deer on estates.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hinnant

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

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 Hinnant was:

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 Hinnant has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Hinnant was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!