2000
#4,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Rare Last name
Hitt
An English occupational surname for someone who lived on or near a hill or derived from the nickname "Hitt."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,235 Americans carry the last name Hitt. That puts it at #4,778 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hitt 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 Hitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,622
Census rank
#4,778
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,181 bearers of the surname Hitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4778th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hitt
The surname HITT originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hitt," which means "to hit" or "to strike." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a tendency for physical altercations or perhaps a skilled archer or soldier.
HITT is thought to have originated in the county of Wiltshire, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a William Hitt as a resident of Wiltshire.
The name HITT also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1333, where several individuals bearing the surname are recorded, including John Hitt and Robert Hitt. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name HITT is mentioned in the Parish Records of Enford, Wiltshire, where a John Hitt was recorded as having been born in 1562. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Hitt, who was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in 1598.
One of the earliest known documented instances of the surname HITT outside of Wiltshire can be found in the Lancashire Wills and Inventories from 1669, which mentions a William Hitt from the town of Colne.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname HITT have achieved notable recognition. One such individual was Sir William Hitt (1642-1712), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Salisbury during the reign of King William III. Another notable bearer of the name was John Hitt (1735-1808), an American surveyor and soldier who served in the Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Robert Hitt (1834-1906) was a prominent American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois for over 20 years. Isaac Hitt (1819-1886) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
Additionally, Charles Hitt (1856-1924) was an American architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Church of the Covenant and the West End Collegiate Church.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hitt 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 Hitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 6,506
- Two or more races3.6% · 255
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 235
- Black or African American1.6% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hitt
Hitt 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
#4,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,762
+62 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 310 places
2020
#4,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,181
-581 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,257 | 7,700 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,567 | 7,762 | 2.63 | +62 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 310 places |
| 2020 | #4,778 | 7,181 | 2.40 | -581 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 211 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 Hitt 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 | #4,567 | #4,778 | -4.6% |
| Count | 7,762 | 7,181 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.40 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hitt bearers went from 7,762 to 7,181 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,567 to #4,778.
FAQ
Hitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hitt?
Name Census estimates that about 8,235 living Americans carry the surname Hitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,622 residents.
How common is Hitt?
Hitt ranks #4,778 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,181 people with the surname Hitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,235), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hitt.
Has Hitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hitt went from 7,762 recorded bearers to 7,181. That is a decrease of 581 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,567 to #4,778.
What does the Census say about the background of Hitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Hitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (6,506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Hitt (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 Hitt mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who lived on or near a hill or derived from the nickname "Hitt." 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 Hitt (2.40 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 last name Hitt?
Want to know how common the surname Hitt is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.