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

Hobby, 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 Hobby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hobby in America

Hobby is the 11122nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hobby surname appeared 2,851 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hobby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hobby 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 Hobby

The surname Hobby is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'hob', meaning a flat-topped hill or minor eminence. It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or on such a geographical feature.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, appearing in various forms such as Hobbe, Hobb, and Hobbes. Records from the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273 mention a John Hobbe, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 list a William Hobbe.

The name is also found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. One entry refers to a place called 'Hobe' in Lincolnshire, which may have been the origin of the surname for some families.

Over time, the name evolved into its modern spelling of Hobby, and its variants spread across various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire.

Notable individuals bearing the Hobby surname include:

1. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), a prominent English philosopher known for his works on political philosophy, including "Leviathan".

2. Sir Charles Hobby (1830-1904), an English civil engineer and contractor who was involved in the construction of several notable structures, including the Royal Albert Hall.

3. William Hobby (1878-1966), an American politician who served as the 36th Governor of Texas from 1917 to 1921.

4. Oveta Culp Hobby (1905-1995), an American businesswoman and politician who served as the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

5. Sir John Hobby (1760-1824), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, and was later knighted for his service.

The surname Hobby continues to be found worldwide, with concentrations in various English-speaking countries, reflecting its English origins and the migration patterns of its bearers over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hobby

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!