2000
#7,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Hoard
An English occupational surname referring to someone who stored or guarded provisions or treasures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,340 Americans carry the last name Hoard. That puts it at #8,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoard 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 Hoard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,976
Census rank
#8,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,785 bearers of the surname Hoard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoard, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoard
The surname Hoard originates from the Anglo-Saxon Old English word "hord" which means treasure or hoard. It likely referred to someone who guarded treasures or valuable goods. The name was first found in the county of Yorkshire in northern England in the 11th century.
Early examples of the name include Hordere in the Domesday Book of 1086 which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. Records from Yorkshire parish churches in the 13th century mention individuals with the name Horder and Hordar. Over time, the spelling evolved into its modern form Hoard.
Notable individuals with the surname Hoard include William Hoard (1612-1675), an English merchant and landowner who established trade routes with the American colonies. John Hoard (1738-1815) was a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a respected author on military strategy.
Mary Hoard (1865-1943) was a pioneering American biologist and one of the first women to receive a doctoral degree from Cornell University. She made significant contributions to the field of cytology and the study of cell division. Sir Arthur Hoard (1890-1972) was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to several countries during his long career.
Lastly, Samuel Hoard (1911-1988) was an American businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful technology company. He donated a substantial portion of his wealth to establish the Hoard Institute, a leading research center for sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoard
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoard, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoard 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 Hoard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 2,717
- Black or African American21.3% · 805
- Two or more races3.9% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoard
Hoard 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
#8,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,992
+156 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 308 places
2020
#8,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,785
-207 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,991 | 3,836 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,299 | 3,992 | 1.35 | +156 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 308 places |
| 2020 | #8,374 | 3,785 | 1.27 | -207 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 75 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 Hoard 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 | #8,299 | #8,374 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,992 | 3,785 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.27 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoard bearers went from 3,992 to 3,785 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,299 to #8,374.
FAQ
Hoard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoard?
Name Census estimates that about 4,340 living Americans carry the surname Hoard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,976 residents.
How common is Hoard?
Hoard ranks #8,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,785 people with the surname Hoard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Hoard.
Has Hoard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoard went from 3,992 recorded bearers to 3,785. That is a decrease of 207 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,299 to #8,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoard, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Hoard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (2,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (21.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Hoard (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 Hoard mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who stored or guarded provisions or treasures. 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 Hoard (1.27 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 Americans have the surname Hoard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.