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

Hives, 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 Hives surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hives in America

Hives is the 82613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hives surname appeared 228 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hives.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hives 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.

The history of the last name Hives

The surname Hives is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hifu," meaning a hive for bees. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who kept bees or lived near a place where bees were kept.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hiues" in Warwickshire. This entry likely refers to a person who owned or worked with beehives in that area.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "de la Hyve" and "atte Hyve," indicating that some families took their surnames from the locations where they lived or worked near beehives.

In the 14th century, records show the name spelled as "Hive" and "Hives" in several counties across England, including Essex, Norfolk, and Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name had become more widespread and established by that time.

One notable figure with the surname Hives was John Hives, a wealthy merchant who lived in London in the late 15th century. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and served as an alderman in the City of London.

Another person of note was Sir Edward Hives, a prominent landowner and member of parliament from Gloucestershire in the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and died in 1595.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents across England. One example is William Hives, a farmer from Wiltshire who was mentioned in a land dispute in 1642.

During the 18th century, the surname Hives was found in various parts of England, with some families settling in London and other major cities. One notable figure was Robert Hives, a successful merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who lived from 1725 to 1798.

In the 19th century, the name continued to be present in various parts of England, with some families also migrating to other parts of the British Empire, including Canada and Australia. One notable individual was John Hives, a British explorer and surveyor who was born in 1810 and died in 1885.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hives

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

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 Hives was:

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

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

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

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