2000
#5,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Hixson
Derived from the place name Hickson, referring to a settlement or farm belonging to someone named Hick or Richard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,258 Americans carry the last name Hixson. That puts it at #5,313 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hixson 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 Hixson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 47,224
Census rank
#5,313
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,329 bearers of the surname Hixson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5313th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hixson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hixson
The surname Hixson is believed to have originated in England, likely during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hicce," meaning a hick or a yokel, and "sunu," meaning son. The name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who was perceived as a rustic or unsophisticated person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hixson surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1327, where a Richard Hyxson is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century, though variations in spelling were common during that era.
The Hixson surname is also found in several historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, a John Hixson is documented in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, a survey conducted in England to assess support for the Protestant religion.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the Hixson surname, one of the earliest recorded figures was William Hixson (c. 1610-1690), an English colonist who settled in Virginia in the mid-17th century and became a prominent landowner and planter.
Another notable figure was Reverend Elijah Hixson (1730-1809), an American Baptist minister and missionary who played a significant role in spreading Christianity throughout the Appalachian region of the United States.
In the 19th century, James Hixson (1808-1876) was a prominent American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, from 1861 to 1863, during the height of the American Civil War.
The Hixson surname also has connections to place names, such as the community of Hixson, located in Hamilton County, Tennessee. This unincorporated town was likely named after one of the early settlers bearing the Hixson surname.
Another notable individual was Mary Hixson (1913-2000), an American artist and educator who was known for her abstract expressionist paintings and taught at several prestigious art schools, including the Art Institute of Chicago.
While the Hixson surname originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through emigration to the United States and other English-speaking countries. However, the name remains relatively uncommon compared to some other English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hixson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hixson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hixson 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 Hixson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 5,493
- Black or African American5.1% · 320
- Two or more races3.7% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 201
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hixson
Hixson 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
#5,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,408
+123 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 310 places
2020
#5,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,329
-79 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,123 | 6,285 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,433 | 6,408 | 2.17 | +123 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 310 places |
| 2020 | #5,313 | 6,329 | 2.12 | -79 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 120 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 Hixson 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 | #5,433 | #5,313 | 2.2% |
| Count | 6,408 | 6,329 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.12 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hixson bearers went from 6,408 to 6,329 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,433 to #5,313.
FAQ
Hixson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hixson?
Name Census estimates that about 7,258 living Americans carry the surname Hixson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,224 residents.
How common is Hixson?
Hixson ranks #5,313 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 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 6,329 people with the surname Hixson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 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 Hixson.
Has Hixson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hixson went from 6,408 recorded bearers to 6,329. That is a decrease of 79 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,433 to #5,313.
What does the Census say about the background of Hixson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hixson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hixson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (5,493 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hixson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hixson (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 Hixson mean?
Derived from the place name Hickson, referring to a settlement or farm belonging to someone named Hick or Richard. 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 Hixson (2.12 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 are called Hixson?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Hixson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.