2000
#1,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,293
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.15
Uncommon Last name
Hinson
Derived from the Old English personal name "Hynca," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," meaning "son of Hynca."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,307 Americans carry the last name Hinson. That puts it at #1,897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinson 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 Hinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,086
Census rank
#1,897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,581 bearers of the surname Hinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinson
The surname Hinson is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "hine" meaning a household servant or retainer, and "sunu" meaning son, essentially translating to "son of a servant".
This occupational surname was likely first adopted by the sons of household servants who worked on large estates or manors in England. The name has also been spelled as Hynson, Hyneson, and Hyneson in historical records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hinson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a series of administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The Rolls mention a John Hyneson from Bedfordshire.
In the 16th century, the Hinson surname appeared in various parish records and tax rolls across England, particularly in counties like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. For example, a Thomas Hinson was listed as a taxpayer in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Norfolk in 1589.
The Domesday Book, a remarkable survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Hinson, as it predates the widespread use of hereditary surnames in England.
One notable individual with the Hinson surname was Richard Hinson (1594-1652), an English Puritan minister and author who served as a rector in Beckington, Somerset. He published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, a John Hinson (1636-1713) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, having immigrated from England to the British colonies in North America.
During the 18th century, the Hinson name appeared in various places across England, including in the parish records of St. Mary Magdalene in Bermondsey, London, where a William Hinson was baptized in 1722.
Another significant figure was Sir William Hinson (1768-1839), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted for his service.
In the 19th century, Mary Ann Hinson (1816-1892) was a notable author and philanthropist from Derbyshire, England, who wrote several books and worked to improve the lives of working-class women and children.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinson 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 Hinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 14,780
- Black or African American12.6% · 2,333
- Two or more races4.1% · 761
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 519
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinson
Hinson 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
#1,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,857
+564 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 6.73
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#1,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,581
-1,276 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 6.22
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,706 | 19,293 | 7.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,807 | 19,857 | 6.73 | +564 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #1,897 | 18,581 | 6.22 | -1,276 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 90 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 Hinson 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 | #1,807 | #1,897 | -5.0% |
| Count | 19,857 | 18,581 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.73 | 6.22 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinson bearers went from 19,857 to 18,581 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,807 to #1,897.
FAQ
Hinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinson?
Name Census estimates that about 21,307 living Americans carry the surname Hinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,086 residents.
How common is Hinson?
Hinson ranks #1,897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,581 people with the surname Hinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hinson.
Has Hinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinson went from 19,857 recorded bearers to 18,581. That is a decrease of 1,276 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,807 to #1,897.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (14,780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hinson (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 Hinson mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name "Hynca," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," meaning "son of Hynca." 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 Hinson (6.22 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 Hinson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hinson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.