2000
#12,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Hinnant
Derived from a place name meaning "high settlement" in Old English, likely referring to an elevated homestead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,548 Americans carry the last name Hinnant. That puts it at #13,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,519 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinnant 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
2.5K
1 in 134,519
Census rank
#13,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,222 bearers of the surname Hinnant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinnant, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (44.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinnant
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinnant, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (44.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinnant 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 Hinnant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.2% · 1,094
- Black or African American44.4% · 987
- Two or more races3.8% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinnant
Hinnant 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
#13,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,336
+44 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 703 places
2020
#13,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
-114 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,418 | 2,292 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,121 | 2,336 | 0.79 | +44 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 703 places |
| 2020 | #13,182 | 2,222 | 0.74 | -114 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 61 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 Hinnant 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 | #13,121 | #13,182 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,336 | 2,222 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.74 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinnant bearers went from 2,336 to 2,222 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,121 to #13,182.
FAQ
Hinnant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinnant?
Name Census estimates that about 2,548 living Americans carry the surname Hinnant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,519 residents.
How common is Hinnant?
Hinnant ranks #13,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,222 people with the surname Hinnant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Hinnant.
Has Hinnant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinnant went from 2,336 recorded bearers to 2,222. That is a decrease of 114 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,121 to #13,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinnant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinnant, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (44.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hinnant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (1,094 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinnant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.2%), Black (44.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hinnant (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 Hinnant mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "high settlement" in Old English, likely referring to an elevated homestead. 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 Hinnant (0.74 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 share the surname Hinnant?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.