Hitchcock last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hitchcock

An English occupational surname referring to a person who raised or trained hawks or falcons for hunting.

Hitchcock, 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 Hitchcock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hitchcock in America

Hitchcock is the 2646th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hitchcock surname appeared 13,608 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Hitchcock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hitchcock 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 2646 2427 8.63%
Count 13,608 13,664 -0.41%
Proportion per 100k 4.61 5.07 -9.50%

The history of the last name Hitchcock

The surname Hitchcock has its origins in England, where it emerged in the medieval era, believed to have arisen sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Old English words "hicce," meaning a hitch or catch, and "cocc," meaning a hill or mound, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hillock.

Early records of the name can be found in various historical documents, including the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 under the rule of William the Conqueror. The name appears in several variations, such as Hichecoc and Hichcok, reflecting the fluidity of spelling during that period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Walter Hitchcock, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early reference is John Hichcok, documented in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332.

The surname Hitchcock has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Robert Hitchcock (1572-1636) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry. George Hitchcock (1850-1913) was an American writer and publisher known for founding the literary magazine "The Periodical."

Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), perhaps the most famous bearer of the name, was a renowned English film director and producer, widely considered one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. His iconic works, such as "Psycho," "Vertigo," and "Rear Window," have left an indelible mark on the art of filmmaking.

Another notable figure was Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864), an American geologist and educator who served as the president of Amherst College and made significant contributions to the study of geology and paleontology in the Connecticut River Valley.

Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1798-1870) was a distinguished American military officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general in the Union Army.

The surname Hitchcock has a rich history rooted in the English landscape and has been carried by individuals who have made their mark across various fields, from politics and literature to science and the arts, further enriching the legacy of this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hitchcock

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

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 Hitchcock was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.49% 12,314
Non-Hispanic Black Only 4.33% 589
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.58% 79
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.74% 101
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.75% 238
Hispanic Origin 2.11% 287

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 90.49% 92.02% -1.68%
Black 4.33% 4.41% -1.83%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.58% 0.36% 46.81%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.74% 0.56% 27.69%
Two or More Races 1.75% 1.27% 31.79%
Hispanic 2.11% 1.39% 41.14%

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

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

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"Hitchcock last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 12, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hitchcock-surname-popularity/.

"Hitchcock last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hitchcock-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 October, 2024

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

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