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

Hjort, 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 Hjort surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hjort in America

Hjort is the 41501st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hjort surname appeared 524 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 Hjort.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hjort 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 Hjort

The surname HJORT originated in Scandinavia, specifically Norway and Denmark. It dates back to the 11th century and is derived from the Old Norse word "hjortr," which means "hart" or "stag." This name likely originated as a nickname for someone who resembled a deer or was known for hunting deer.

In the 13th century, the HJORT surname can be found in records from various parts of Norway, including the regions of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Icelandic saga "Njáls saga," which mentions a character named Hjort.

During the Middle Ages, the HJORT name appeared in various forms, such as "Hiort," "Hiordt," and "Hyort," reflecting regional spelling variations. In the 14th century, the name was recorded in Danish records as "Hyort" and "Hiort."

One notable historical figure with the HJORT surname was Jørgen Hjort (1569-1608), a Danish nobleman and military commander who served as the Governor of Kalmar Castle in Sweden. Another was Peder Hjort (1574-1636), a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made important contributions to the study of comets.

In Norway, the HJORT name can be traced back to the 16th century, with records mentioning individuals such as Nils Hjort (1548-1622), a farmer from Trøndelag, and Knut Hjort (1575-1648), a merchant from Bergen.

In the 17th century, the HJORT surname was present in various parts of Scandinavia, including Sweden. One notable Swedish bearer of the name was Johan Hjort (1639-1726), a Lutheran clergyman and author from Östergötland.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the HJORT name continued to be found in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, with several individuals achieving notable positions in society. For example, Peder Andreas Hjort (1765-1827) was a Norwegian jurist and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway.

Other notable bearers of the HJORT surname include the Norwegian explorer and whaling captain Svend Foyn Hjort (1809-1894), the Danish botanist Johan Hjort (1835-1892), and the Norwegian zoologist Johan Hjort (1869-1948), who made significant contributions to the study of marine biology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hjort

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

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

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

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