2000
#962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.31
Uncommon Last name
Hinton
From a place name meaning "high settlement" or "town on a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,282 Americans carry the last name Hinton. That puts it at #1,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,725 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinton 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 Hinton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,725
Census rank
#1,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,256 bearers of the surname Hinton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinton
The surname Hinton originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hine," meaning a servant or household retainer, and "tun," meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on a farm or estate.
The earliest known record of the surname Hinton appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it is spelled "Hintone." This spelling variation reflects the name's connection to various place names in England, such as Hinton Charterhouse in Somerset, Hinton St. George in Somerset, and Hinton Ampner in Hampshire.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, several places with names similar to Hinton are mentioned, including Hintone (Gloucestershire), Hintone (Wiltshire), and Hintone (Berkshire). This further reinforces the surname's ties to specific locations in England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John de Hinton, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another notable figure was Sir John Hinton, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1399 and 1402.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Hinton surname, including:
1. John Howard Hinton (1791-1873), an English Baptist minister and writer.
2. James Hinton (1822-1875), an English philosopher and writer on auricular surgery.
3. Richard Josiah Hinton (1825-1905), an English Baptist minister and author.
4. Mary Hinton (1844-1909), an English artist and illustrator.
5. Arthur Hinton (1869-1952), a British aviator and aviation pioneer.
It's worth noting that the surname Hinton has also been associated with various place names, such as Hinton St. Mary in Dorset, Hinton Waldrist in Berkshire, and Hinton Parva in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its connection to specific locations in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinton 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 Hinton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.3% · 17,570
- Black or African American39.4% · 13,500
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,632
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 986
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 397
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 171
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinton
Hinton 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
#979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,606
+2,397 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 12.07
Rank movement Down 17 places
2020
#1,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,256
-1,350 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 11.46
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #962 | 33,209 | 12.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #979 | 35,606 | 12.07 | +2,397 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 17 places |
| 2020 | #1,001 | 34,256 | 11.46 | -1,350 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 22 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 Hinton 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 | #979 | #1,001 | -2.2% |
| Count | 35,606 | 34,256 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.07 | 11.46 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinton bearers went from 35,606 to 34,256 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #979 to #1,001.
FAQ
Hinton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinton?
Name Census estimates that about 39,282 living Americans carry the surname Hinton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,725 residents.
How common is Hinton?
Hinton ranks #1,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,256 people with the surname Hinton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Hinton.
Has Hinton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinton went from 35,606 recorded bearers to 34,256. That is a decrease of 1,350 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #979 to #1,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hinton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.3% (17,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.3%), Black (39.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hinton (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 Hinton mean?
From a place name meaning "high settlement" or "town on a hill" in Old English. 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 Hinton (11.46 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 Hinton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.