2000
#13,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Hittle
Derived from a German nickname for a resistant or tenacious person, from Middle High German "hütteln" meaning "to shake."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,342 Americans carry the last name Hittle. That puts it at #14,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,351 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hittle 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,351
Census rank
#14,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,042 bearers of the surname Hittle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hittle
The surname Hittle is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "hitt" and "hyl," meaning "hill" and "dweller," respectively. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who resided on or near a hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a mention of a Thomas Attehull, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the name Hittle.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various forms, such as Hittyll, Hyttyll, and Hyttel, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. One notable early record is found in the Suffolk Feet of Fines from 1310, which references a John Hyttyll.
In the 16th century, the name began to take on its more modern spelling of Hittle, as evidenced by records like the Subsidy Rolls of 1524, which list a William Hyttell from Somerset. This period also saw the rise of several prominent individuals bearing the name, such as Sir John Hittle, a renowned merchant and alderman in the city of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603).
As the name spread across England, it became associated with various place names, such as Hittle Hill in Gloucestershire and Hittle Court in Kent. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of Hittle families in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hittle include:
1. Thomas Hittle (1688-1762), a prominent landowner and farmer in colonial Virginia.
2. Elizabeth Hittle (1754-1832), an American pioneer and early settler in Ohio.
3. William Hittle (1810-1892), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
4. John Hittle (1845-1921), a British architect and designer of several notable buildings in London.
5. Mary Hittle (1901-1987), an American educator and advocate for women's rights in the early 20th century.
While the surname Hittle is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval era, reflecting the diverse origins and migrations of families across England and, later, the British colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hittle
Among Census respondents with the surname Hittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hittle 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 Hittle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,883
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 53
- Black or African American2.1% · 42
- Two or more races2.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hittle
Hittle 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
#11,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,649
+541 bearers (+25.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 1,462 places
2020
#14,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,042
-607 bearers (-22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 2,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,277 | 2,108 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,815 | 2,649 | 0.90 | +541 bearers (+25.7%) | Up 1,462 places |
| 2020 | #14,118 | 2,042 | 0.68 | -607 bearers (-22.9%) | Down 2,303 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 Hittle 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 | #11,815 | #14,118 | -19.5% |
| Count | 2,649 | 2,042 | -22.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.68 | -24.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hittle bearers went from 2,649 to 2,042 (-22.9% change). The surname moved down 2,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,815 to #14,118.
FAQ
Hittle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hittle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,342 living Americans carry the surname Hittle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,351 residents.
How common is Hittle?
Hittle ranks #14,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,042 people with the surname Hittle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Hittle.
Has Hittle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hittle went from 2,649 recorded bearers to 2,042. That is a decrease of 607 (-22.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,815 to #14,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Hittle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Hittle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hittle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (2.1%). 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 Hittle (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 Hittle mean?
Derived from a German nickname for a resistant or tenacious person, from Middle High German "hütteln" meaning "to shake." 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 Hittle (0.68 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 Hittle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.