2000
#12,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,235
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Hitchens
Derived from the name Richard or its nickname Hitch, likely referring to the son of a man called Hitch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,545 Americans carry the last name Hitchens. That puts it at #13,192 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hitchens 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 Hitchens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,678
Census rank
#13,192
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,219 bearers of the surname Hitchens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13192nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hitchens
The surname Hitchens originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational surname derived from the village of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "hiccian" meaning "to stumble or hiccup" and "hlinc" meaning "ridge or bank."
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Hitchens can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Hertfordshire from 1275, where a Roger de Hycchen is mentioned. The name also appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1307 as Hitchin.
In the 14th century, the Hitchens name was documented in various medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of Hertfordshire from 1376, which mentions a William Hitchyn. The spelling variations during this period included Hitchin, Hitchins, and Hychyn.
The Hitchens family was well-established in Hertfordshire and surrounding areas, with several individuals bearing the name appearing in historical records. One notable figure was John Hitchens, born in 1594, who was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London.
Another notable Hitchens was Robert Hitchens (1572-1636), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of St. Albans. His works included "The Quintescence of Philosophy" and "The Whole Doctrine of Book-Keeping."
In the 18th century, the Reverend John Hitchens (1715-1799) was a notable figure, serving as the Rector of Holwell, Somerset. He was the author of several theological works, including "A Discourse on the Nature and Necessity of Regeneration."
The 19th century saw the birth of Thomas Hitchens (1839-1903), a British politician and barrister who served as a Member of Parliament for West Staffordshire from 1885 to 1892.
Another prominent figure with the Hitchens surname was Sir Alfred Hitchens (1856-1942), a British civil engineer and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Straits Settlements (now part of Malaysia and Singapore) from 1911 to 1920.
Throughout its history, the Hitchens name has maintained a strong association with the English counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, reflecting its origins in the village of Hitchin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hitchens
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hitchens 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 Hitchens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 1,481
- Black or African American23.6% · 523
- Two or more races5.4% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hitchens
Hitchens 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
#13,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
+124 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#13,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,219
-140 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,692 | 2,235 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,010 | 2,359 | 0.80 | +124 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #13,192 | 2,219 | 0.74 | -140 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 182 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 Hitchens 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 | #13,010 | #13,192 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,359 | 2,219 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hitchens bearers went from 2,359 to 2,219 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,010 to #13,192.
FAQ
Hitchens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hitchens?
Name Census estimates that about 2,545 living Americans carry the surname Hitchens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,678 residents.
How common is Hitchens?
Hitchens ranks #13,192 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 2,219 people with the surname Hitchens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,545), 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 Hitchens.
Has Hitchens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hitchens went from 2,359 recorded bearers to 2,219. That is a decrease of 140 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,010 to #13,192.
What does the Census say about the background of Hitchens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Hitchens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (1,481 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hitchens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Hitchens (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 Hitchens mean?
Derived from the name Richard or its nickname Hitch, likely referring to the son of a man called Hitch. 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 Hitchens (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 have the surname Hitchens?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.