2000
#5,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Hix
Derived from an Old English personal name or place name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,703 Americans carry the last name Hix. That puts it at #6,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hix 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 Hix with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,101
Census rank
#6,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,973 bearers of the surname Hix in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hix, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hix
The surname Hix originated in England, specifically in the counties of Essex and Suffolk, during the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hix" or "hych," meaning a hack or a hitch, which was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked with horses or carts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hix can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, where a John Hix is listed. The Hix surname also appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Essex from 1381, suggesting its widespread use in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, the Hix name is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakering in Essex, where a Thomas Hix is recorded as a landowner in 1438. This indicates that the Hix family had established itself as prosperous landowners by that era.
The Hix surname is also found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the late 13th century, suggesting that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time. In these rolls, a Walter Hix is listed as a taxpayer in 1285.
One notable individual with the Hix surname was Sir Michael Hix (c. 1472-1543), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King Henry VIII. He was born in Wiltshire and played a significant role in the legal reforms of that era.
Another notable figure was John Hix (c. 1637-1689), an English Puritan minister and author who was born in Warwickshire. He wrote several influential religious works, including "A Vision of the Reformation" and "A Discourse on the Glory of the Heavenly Kingdom."
In the 18th century, Samuel Hix (1724-1790) was a renowned English clockmaker from Gloucestershire. His clocks were highly regarded for their accuracy and craftsmanship, and some of his works can still be found in museums and private collections today.
During the 19th century, William Hix (1817-1892) was a notable English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. His most famous work is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Bermondsey, which he designed in the Gothic Revival style.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Edgar Hix (1889-1952) was a British author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories. He was born in Gloucestershire and is best known for his novel "The Painted Room," which was published in 1926.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hix
Among Census respondents with the surname Hix, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hix 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 Hix surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 4,344
- Two or more races4.2% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 200
- Black or African American2.6% · 127
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hix
Hix 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
#6,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,244
-600 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 1,006 places
2020
#6,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,973
-271 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,470 | 5,844 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,476 | 5,244 | 1.78 | -600 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 1,006 places |
| 2020 | #6,553 | 4,973 | 1.66 | -271 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 77 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 Hix 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 | #6,476 | #6,553 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,244 | 4,973 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.66 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hix bearers went from 5,244 to 4,973 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,476 to #6,553.
FAQ
Hix surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hix?
Name Census estimates that about 5,703 living Americans carry the surname Hix. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,101 residents.
How common is Hix?
Hix ranks #6,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 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 4,973 people with the surname Hix. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 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 Hix.
Has Hix become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hix went from 5,244 recorded bearers to 4,973. That is a decrease of 271 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,476 to #6,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Hix?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hix, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Hix in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (4,344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hix appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Hix (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 Hix mean?
Derived from an Old English personal name or place name of unknown meaning. 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 Hix (1.66 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 Hix?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Hix at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.